


You're my muse - the force that guides my pen

by TravelerByNature



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, F/F, Friendship, Love/Hate, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2019-10-05 16:02:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 106,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17328125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TravelerByNature/pseuds/TravelerByNature
Summary: Penelope Park is an aspiring writer who currently works as a barista. She is constantly dodging the flirt attempts of popular girl Josie Saltzman.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write this fanfic because I couldn't get it out of my head. I hope you guys enjoy it!

The sun was shining brightly, making the colors of the cute buildings almost glow. It was an early summer's day and the streets were bustling with people. Due to the close proximity to the college most of them were students, enjoying their free time with their friends or catching up on their work load in one of the many cafes.

Josie and Hope were on their way to their usual spot to grab some coffee before their next class would start. They have been friends ever since childhood and were basically inseparable. Hope had moved in with the Saltzman family when her parents died in a tragic fire. It had been tough for her, but they had welcomed her with open arms and had tried to be there for her as best as they could. The brunette was so thankful for everything they had done for her and after some time she had accepted them as her family.

Since they had all wanted to go to college Lizzie, Josie and Hope had decided to go to the same one. None of them wanting to be apart from each other. The twins were studying media studies and Hope international business.

It hadn't taken them long to build a good reputation for themselves. Lizzie and Josie were cheerleaders for the college football team and Hope, being their sister, was basically treated as one even though she wasn't cheering. The blonde twin was already dating the quarterback, Rafael, and everyone referred to them as the 'it-couple'.

Josie wasn't dating anyone, but because of her status and good looks she was the girl everyone either wanted to be friends with or wanted to be in a relationship with. The brunette definitely knew what power she held and often used it to get a free meal or free drinks at one of the bars around campus. She had no intention to settle down though. There was just no one that could hold her for longer than a couple of weeks. She got bored easily and was not willing to give up the freedom single life held.

Hope wasn't looking for a relationship as well. She was kind of the nerd in their group. She loved her studies and had her main focus on getting good grades. That didn't mean that she didn't enjoy partying, because she did. She just stayed away from hook ups and focused on having a good time dancing and playing drinking games. Out of the three she was definitely the one with the most wit. There had never been a single discussion or argument that she didn't win. The brunette took pride in her intellectual skills and because she was popular everyone else admired her for that as well.

The two stopped in front of their usual coffee spot. It was a cute cafe with a few tables outside and cozy armchairs inside. The tables and shelves that contained some books for the customers to read were made out of dark wood and the smell of coffee gave the building a chill vibe.

The bell above the door ran when they entered and the baristas looked up from their work to greet them with smiles and hellos. Since they were regulars all of the baristas already knew their names and chatted with them while they took their orders.

Josie scanned the people working behind the counter and when her eyes landed on who she was looking for her lips curled up in a smile.

“When will you stop trying to make her go out with you Jo? There are coffee shops closer to our dorm rooms and for the past couple of weeks she has done nothing but ignore your attempts to flirt with her.”, Hope asked her best friend.

“You know that I like a challenge. The others at college are just too eager to go out with me. There is no fun in that.”, the brunette replied, eyes still fixed on the raven haired girl who was focused on her work.

“She won't go out with you. Sometimes you just have to admit defeat.”, Hope groaned annoyed. Some things were just not meant to be and the barista clearly didn't want to go out with the tall brunette.

Josie ignored her and walked up to the counter, sending everyone a bright smile. There were currently working three baristas and to Josie's delight the raven haired girl was the only one without a task now.

Rolling her eyes slightly the barista accepted her fate and looked up at Josie. It was clear to see that she didn't want to deal with her right now.

“Your usual? Skinny iced vanilla latte?”, she asked her, not really waiting for an answer to start preparing the beverage.

“It's so sweet of you that you remembered my order.”, Josie smiled sweetly at her.

“You've been ordering that drink ever since you started coming here. I'd have to have less than two braincells to not remember it. Don't flatter yourself.”, she dodged yet another attempt of Josie to flirt with her. The whole thing almost made Hope laugh out loud.

“Why can't you admit that you like me Penelope?”, the brunette asked and leaned forward, her forearms on the counter.

As always Penelope just ignored Josie and finished up her drink, handing it to her with a fake smile plastered on her face. It was always the same and Hope just couldn't understand why Josie still tried. She wasn't getting anywhere.

“Black coffee for you, right?”, the barista looked past Josie to Hope. Her voice was more friendly now and Hope could feel how much that bother her best friend.

“You got it boss.”, she replied with a smile, ignoring Josie who was glaring at her.

With their drinks in their hands the two friends went outside to enjoy the sun and the chatter of the city. They still had some time before they had to head to class and the warmth of the sun was just too inviting to sit inside.

“I can't believe she likes you more than me.”, Josie grumbles, clearly not in a good mood anymore.

“Ouch Saltzman. I have feelings too.”, Hope mocked hurt.

Sending her a look the brunette replied: “You know what I mean. I'm just not used to people like her and it bugs me.”

“And by people like her you mean people who don't flirt back?”, Hope chuckled, shaking her head at her friends behavior. This was literally proof that people tend to want the things that they can't have. It was just stupid and by now she was honestly annoyed by having to tag along every day so Josie could 'run into' Penelope. Plus she didn't like the mood the brunette was in afterwards.

“Maybe she is just intimidated by me.”, Josie thought out loud and it amazed Hope how the brunette considered everything but the possibility that Penelope just didn't like her.

 

Inside Penelope was busying herself by doing the dishes when her best friend, roommate and co worker Landon approached her with a knowing smile.

“She doesn't give up does she?”

“No. I don't get why she can't leave me alone.”, she sighed and turned around to look at her best friend.

The two of them had attended the same private school for the last two years before graduation. Landon was a foster kid and had bounced around a lot. He had been lucky enough to be placed with a rich family for his last two years. He knew that he had been a charity case. His foster parents had paraded him around to use him to be seen as some kind of good Samaritans. It had't made him feel welcomed, but he got to meet Penelope.

Penelope was the daughter of newly rich parents. Her parents had made some smart business choices when she was in elementary school and were now living the life they had always dreamed of. She didn't like how they threw money down the drain and treated other people with less money with less respect. Meeting Landon had been a breath of fresh air for her and they had soon become best friends.

When she had told her parents that she wanted to be a writer they hadn't been amused. They wanted her to attend some expensive university abroad studying medicine or law or something equally respected. But when she had refused to go they had decided on making a deal. She would get a year to write and then they would ship her off to study 'something with a future'.

“She could be good for your writing P.”, Landon said, “She is popular and gets invited to all these crazy college parties. You could make a lot of experiences hanging out with a girl like her.”

“You know I could get into any club, bar and party if I wanted to. I'm rich and my name means something remember?”, she scoffed, even though she knew Landon wasn't wrong. Josie would be the perfect way to expand her horizon and do things she never would have done on her own. She would immediately be accepted if she were to show up with her.

“I'm just saying P. You don't have to date her, we're both not the kind of people to use someone for a personal gain. All I'm asking is for you to consider tagging along when she goes to some crazy party. You don't even have to be nice to her.”

“I just don't like being around girls like her. They're on their high horse and believe they can have everything and everyone they want. As soon as they get it though they're done with it. I don't need that kind of conceitedness in my life. I already had enough of to last me a lifetime.”

“I know.”, he softly said, “But her friend doesn't seem to be like that. Maybe she isn't like she appears to be. Never judge a book by it's cover, remember?”

That made Penelope smile. She loved how Landon always tried to see good in people even though he had been around so many bad ones being a foster kid. It was truly inspiring sometimes and it was good for her to be around him. She was a pessimist and always expected the worst of people. Society was doomed and humanity was bound to go extinct anyways. She wasn't one for second chances or first chances for that matter. People almost never surprised her.

“Plus I could tag along as well. Raise some awareness for my band, you know?”, the guy tried a different approach.

“Really? You're going to play that card?”, the raven haired girl was now chuckling.

“Yeah that card.”, Landon said proudly, “I know that you'll always support me like I'll support you. I love you for that.”

“You're an idiot.”, she laughed, not meaning it in the slightest. He was like a brother to her.

“Well then it's settled.”, he grinned and went back to work, while Penelope's gaze wandered to the two brunettes sitting outside in the sun.

Sighing in annoyance she left her workstation and made her way outside. Landon was right, she had to do something to start writing. So far she hadn't written a single word and she didn't have the liberty of time. There was less than a year left for her to pursue her dream and she was not ready to give up on it yet.

“Hey Hope.”, she smiled at the girl. Just because she needed Josie to not be an outcast, didn't mean she had to be her plus one. She guessed that Hope went to every party Josie did.

“Penelope.”, she smiled, but obviously confused as to why the raven haired girl had approached her since they weren't friends and she seemed to hate Josie.

“My best friend has been complaining about me not going out so I was wondering if you were planning on going to a party. And if I could come with.”, she answered the unasked question.

Penelope felt Josie's stare at Hope, sending her some signals as to what to say. It never failed to amused her how much ignoring her bothered the brunette.

“There is one tonight.”, Hope began and trailed off, looking at Josie to check in if she was saying the right thing.

“You could be my plus one.”, she heard Josie's soft voice pipe up.

“If Hope is going I can be her plus one can't I? I don't need to be yours too.”, Penelope deadpanned, her eyes never leaving Hope. She wasn't interested in her, she just liked her better than the brunette. Hope seemed to be more normal and less arrogant than her best friend.

“Sure. You can come.”, Hope said visibly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

“Great. Can I bring my best friend as well? I'm sure he'd love to check one of your crazy college parties out as well.”, Penelope asked, not wanting to be alone amongst strangers.

“Only if you dance with me.”, Josie spoke up once again. The girl was relentless and Hope didn't look like she would interfere. Penelope respected her for that. She was just trying to help out her best friend, she didn't do it to spite Penelope.

“Sure, if you leave me alone for the rest of the night afterwards.”, the barista bargained, finally turning around so she could look into Josie's deep brown eyes.

It was written all over Josie's delicate features that she didn't like the bargain. She was obviously frustrated that Penelope continued to dodge her flirt attempts and that she wasn't getting anywhere with the barista.

“Alright.”, she finally said and forced herself to smile. She was going to take what she could get.

“My shift ends at eight and Landon and I live just around the corner. Should we meet up at nine here?”, she suggested, but instead of turning back to face Hope again she continued to look at Josie.

“Sounds good. We'll pick you up later tonight then.”, Josie agreed.

Penelope nodded and headed back inside while the two best friends made their way towards the campus.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope agrees to tag along to a party that Josie is going to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's longer than I intended it to be :)

The rest of Penelope's shift went by uneventful. Landon was hyped for the party later and couldn't stop talking about it. He was already stressing about what to wear to appear cool hours before it was even remotely close to being nine pm. She found it absolutely endearing.

Penelope herself wasn't that excited about going. She had been to dozens of parties, perk of going to a school with a lot of rich kids whose parents were to busy making money than to care what their kids were doing at night. There had been home parties every couple of days and with time the aspect of going to one had lost all of its appeal. It had become something normal, nothing to be thrilled about anymore. Not that she every really liked going to begin with. It had always been about getting drunk and hooking up with someone. She enjoyed the buzz of alcohol, but her 'friends' made it more into a sport which she found disconcerting.

As Landon and Penelope left the cafe and started to walk to their shared apartment her best friend started to ramble about the party again: “I can't believe you actually asked them if I could come too! I mean I know you love me, but still! You're simply the best P. Have I told you that?”

“Yeah, about a million times today.”, the girl chuckled, sending him a warm smile.

Landon grinned and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. Usually she didn't like to be hugged, but with Landon it was okay. He was maybe the only person she was comfortable enough with to show affection.

Their apartment wasn't that big. It had one bedroom with an attached bathroom and main room where the kitchen was located. The main room was big enough to fit a table, a desk and a bed into. Landon had been a gentleman and had given Penelope the bedroom. He knew that she needed to be alone sometimes and that she could only write in solitude.

He went to his wardrobe and threw a couple of options on his bed while Penelope went into her room and fell onto her bed. She was exhausted after the long shift and just needed some minutes to relax. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, letting her thoughts consume her.

She couldn't believe she was actually going somewhere with Josie. For all those weeks she had successfully managed to not spend more time than necessary with the girl and now she had been the one to approach her. Tonight would be a long night for her and she just hoped that she would find someone interesting to talk to. Otherwise Josie would have even more opportunities to annoy her. But at least the brunette had agreed to leave her alone after their dance.

Sighing she stood up and opened her wardrobe that was full with designer cloths. Most of them were black or navy blue. Penelope liked how the colors could go with everything and highlighted the spot of color she always added to her outfits.

She settled for a well-tailored and tight fitting black leather jacket, black ripped jeans and a scarlet crop top that showed off her flat stomach. Then she applied some make up, but not too much since she didn't want to look like she painted herself a face on. She liked to look natural.

Looking in the mirror she smirked, satisfied with how she looked and made her way back into the main room where Landon was still undecided about what to wear.

“And they say girls take long.”, she teased him, spinning around to present her outfit.

“Haha, very funny P. Not everyone looks flawless in everything like you do.”, he replied.

“Why thank you.”, she smirked and flipped her short hair.

Her best friend looked desperate. He was absolutely lost and had no clue where to even start, so she walked over to him and took a quick look at all of his cloths. Not hesitating very long she threw some beige slim fitted chinos and a dark blue button up at him.

“That'll do.”, she said and leaned against the door frame, looking at him expectantly.

“Give me five minutes!”, he shouted as he ran into their bathroom to get ready.

 

Classes had been okay for Josie. Some of the things had actually interested her and it hadn't been hard to focus on the words of her professors. Though her thoughts had wandered to Penelope every once in a while.

She was in her dorm room that she shared with Lizzie and Hope to get ready for the party. Her twin sister was currently with her boyfriend, but Hope was grinning at her from her bed.

“What?”, she asked annoyed, turning away from the pile of clothing laying on top of her bed.

“Nothing. It's just that I have never seen you this invested in finding the right party outfit. Normally you just throw something on, telling me you'll good in anything.”, her best friend innocently said.

“Well I do look good in anything. It's just that tonight I have the chance of getting closer to Penelope who has yet to flirt back.”, Josie discarded Hope's attempt of teasing her.

“Right. You mean the Penelope who is coming as my plus one?”

At that the brunette groaned: “Can you not remind me? I bet she's just playing hard to get.”

Chuckling Hope decided to not push it further. Her best friend was obviously not in the mood to banter. Which was always the case when it came to the pretty raven haired girl. Penelope really got to Josie and Hope just didn't understand why. The brunette didn't know Penelope at all and every conversation they had ever had been one sided. Sure it added to the mystery and to the chase, but after all these weeks Hope didn't get why Josie was still interested. The allure Penelope's behavior held at the beginning would have normally changed into something more negative by now. But apparently Josie wasn't ready to let it go just now which surprised her.

Hope was already dressed and was just waiting for the twin to be ready. She was wearing blue jeans and a cute top. It wasn't anything special, but it looked good and she wasn't trying to impress anybody anyways.

“I think that this is it. What do you think?”, Josie asked her and twirled around to show off her outfit from all sides.

Josie was wearing a high pleated skirt and a flowy crop top that looked elegant and sexy at the same time. Her hair was open and in waves. It was nothing extravagant, but she could see that Josie had put some extra effort in it.

“You look great Jo.”, Hope smiled at her.

“Thanks. We can head out now, Lizzie said she'll meet us there because she's going with Raf.”, Josie informed her and opened the door for her best friend.

 

Landon and Penelope were the first ones to arrive at the now closed cafe. Since it was summer it wasn't dark yet and the cool summers breeze felt refreshing. The streets were no longer filled with people, just a few small groups passing now and then. It was a rather quiet night and Penelope would have loved nothing more than to just sit down on one of the benches and be alone with her thoughts.

“Don't look to excited.”, Landon brought her back to reality, giving her a little shove.

“Excuse me for not being as chipper as you. I'm just not looking forward to spend time with Miss Popular.”

“Too bad, because there they are.”, he pointed down the street where to familiar shapes were approaching.

“Great.”, she muttered under her breath before the two girls were within earshot.

“Hey guys.”, Hope greeted them with a wide smile, Landon and Penelope given back a nod.

“You look good Hope.”, Penelope commented, “I guess I'm lucky to be your plus one.”

“Thanks, so do you.”, the brunette smiled.

Penelope hadn't look at Josie directly so far and she could feel the frustration radiating off of the girl. She wouldn't give the brunette the attention she was seeking, it would just prolong her flirtations and she really didn't want that. Though she had to admit that Josie looked great. She would just never say that out loud.

“Don't be too happy to see me.”, Josie tried to get her to look at her, but Penelope just ignored her attempt altogether.

“Josie you look beautiful.”, Landon tried to save the awkward situation. He didn't understand why Penelope was so cold towards the brunette. Sure she didn't like her and her constant flirting got on her nerves, but that didn't mean she had to be so dismissive.

“I know, but thank you for noticing.”, she heard the brunette say and rolled her eyes. How could one person be so arrogant.

“Well let's go before we get too caught up in this conversation.”, Hope piped up after a moment of awkward silence.

Confidently Josie started walking, Hope falling into step with her and Landon and Penelope followed. They walked a few steps behind them since Landon knew that his best friend wouldn't want to talk to the college girls. To Penelope's surprise Josie didn't try to talk to her and she really appreciated that. It would have been a waste of energy.

They could hear the music from a block away and when they finally entered it was packed with students. Most of them had obviously already pre-gamed and were already acting like little kids with too much energy.

As soon as Josie stepped through the door all eyes were on her. Judging by the look on her face Penelope could tell that she loved it. She had a smirk plastered on her face and savored the moment by just standing there.

“Josie! My favorite twin!”, she heard a blonde girl screaming as she threw her arms around the brunette.

“Great there are two of them.”, she muttered and apparently both Hope and Landon had heard her because they started to laugh.

“Let's get a drink.”, the raven haired girl said and started to drag Landon away from Josie, her twin and Hope without excusing herself. Knowing Josie she would find her again anyways.

The music was thumping through her body and the smell of alcohol was in the air. She could even smell some weed and cigarette smoke coming from somewhere. The party was less classy than the ones she had attended back home, but it was still the same thing. Nothing here was surprising.

Bored she mixed some vodka with RedBull and handed Landon a beer. She loved the taste of the energy drink and the effect the long drink had. It kept her awake and gave her the buzz of the alcohol at the same time. A lot of people didn't like the smell nor the taste of RedBull which was quite convenient because basically no one would try to steal a sip from her cup.

 

Josie hugged her sister back. She was happy to see that she had already arrived. But that was the case most of the time. The brunette liked to be fashionable late. Even though nine was pretty early she knew that most of her fellow students had already started to drink over an hour ago.

“Hey Jo.”, Rafael hugged her and put and arm around Lizzie's waist. They really were the 'it-couple'.

“So where is your girl?”, Lizzie asked her, wiggling her eye brows.

Confused as to what her sister meant Josie turned around to see only Hope standing there. Of course the girl would have used the first chance she got to disappear.

“I'm going to find her.”, she stated, but was stopped by Hope's hand on her arm.

“You're going to scare her away, just leave her be for a couple of minutes.”, her best friend advised her.

She knew that Hope was right. Her previous method to get somewhere with Penelope hadn't worked. But flirting was the only thing she knew. She never had to fight for attention, all she had to smile or flirt to get what she wanted so this was entirely new for her. But the brunette found it intriguing. Penelope was the first person to challenge her, the first one to ever be able to hold her attention. Josie didn't know if she'd still find the girl interesting after she got her, but that was a concern for future-her. Right now it didn't matter.

Glancing around Josie started to evaluate the different groups that had formed. She knew that everyone was eager to talk to her so she didn't have to worry about not being included. The brunette wasn't in the mood for dancing so she settled on one of the groups playing 'Never have I ever'. Most of them were jocks and she knew all of them.

Tugging at Hope's hand she lead them towards the group and smiled as she sat down.

“Can I get you two a drink?”, one of the guys asked them as soon as they were seated and the two best friends nodded, sending him a sweet smile.

As soon as Josie and Hope had their drinks the game resumed. It had always been like that. Everyone waited for her to make her feel as comfortable as possible. If it had been anyone else they wouldn't have waited. But she was Josie Saltzman. The world revolved around her.

 

Penelope caught sight of Josie. She and her best friend were with a group of stereotypical jocks. Exactly the crowd the girl had expected the brunette to hang out with. From what it looked like they were playing some drinking game. Probably 'Never have I ever' with the same unsurprising questions as always.

Since she had already finished her first cup she mixed herself another drink, leaning against the counter of the kitchen. Her gaze wandered across the room, taking everything in. The raven haired girl felt the music cursing through her body and listened to the lyrics. Of course if was about love and pain, but the beat made it sound happy even though the words were everything but. 

Penelope was the kind of person to listen to the lyrics first. If she liked them she liked the song and if she didn't she found the song was garbage.

Without even noticing she found herself looking at Josie. The brunette seemed to be in her element, but something just didn't look right. The way she sweetly smiled and the flirtatious way her posture got whenever she said something. It fitted into the picture she had of the college girl, but for the first time it crossed her mind that something about it was off.

Shaking her head Penelope focused back on drinking. To be here required to be at least tipsy.

“Hey gorgeous, do you want to join us for a round of beer pong?”, some guy asked her, slurring the words a little bit.

She was not in the mood to do anything with anyone here, but if she had to stay why not play a game, so she nodded. The guy grinned, obviously thinking that she was not just interested in beer pong but also him. It wasn't even surprising anymore that guys interpreted too much in a simple yes to beer pong. If girls gave guys at a party any type of attention they immediately jumped to conclusions. It was ridiculous.

“Landon, we're a team right?”, she asked her best friend who was loyally still standing next to her.

“We're going to crush them.”, he said, a happy smile on his lips. He had been afraid that he had to stand next to Penelope all night doing absolutely nothing.

The guy whose name Penelope didn't even know lead them to a table in the next room. There were a lot of students sitting on the couches, talking while still having a good look at the table.

“This beauty and her friend are going to go against us.”, he shouted to his friend who was equally drunk.

“Nice! And she's cute. Good job man!”, his friend fist bumped him and they started to laugh.

Penelope had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Guys seemed to always be the same, but she couldn't be so rude, otherwise she would have an even worse night.

After a decent amount of shots from each side they both had only one cup left. Landon had already shot his shot and now it was up to Penelope to finish the game. Both Landon and her were good shots and apparently the two guys hadn't expected that since they got pretty competitive after a while. She was so over all it that she prayed that she got the ball in. It would serve them right to loose. The raven haired girl hated to be underestimated.

Just as she got into position she heard Hope call out to her: “Damn girl, you're good at this. Show them some girl power.”

Smirking she turned around to face the brunette and asked: “Want to wish me goo luck? ”

Of course Josie was standing next to her, displeased by her proposal to her best friend. Hope on the other hand laughed and made her way over to Landon and Penelope.

“I don't think you'll need luck to win this thing.”, she said and gave her a look. She didn't have to say what she was thinking, Penelope could see it on her face. She was Josie's best friend, she would not stab her in the back by going along with Penelope's plan. This thing was between the Josie and her and Hope wouldn’t meddle any more than she already had.

“You're right.”, the barista agreed and her eyes wandered to Josie, looking eyes with her. She could see that the brunette was angry. Since she had had some drinks her emotions were even easier to read than usual.

Still looking into Josie's chocolate brown eyes she took a breath and threw the ball. There was no way she could know for sure where the cup stood, but since she had tried to score into the cup the past two rounds she had an idea. All she now needed, against what Hope had said, was luck.

“What the hell?!”, the guy who had approached her exclaimed and when Landon threw his arms around her she knew that she had just won the game for them.

For the first time that night her smiled reached her eyes. It was a lucky shot, but her risk had paid off. She hugged Landon back and broke her eye contact with the brunette.

 

The moment Penelope's eyes locked with hers Josie didn't dare to breathe. There was something about the way she looked at her that made the music fade into the background. It was intense, but at the same time she knew that the raven haired girl was just messing with her. She could see her dislike in her eyes, but it was mixed with something playful. A side of her that she hadn't seen before.

When she broke their stare to hug Landon back Josie realized that she had actually got the ball in and she couldn't help but smile at that.

Feeling bold she made her way to Penelope and said: “Who knew you were this talented at beer pong.”

Rolling her eyes the girl answered: “I'm a woman of many talents. Not that you'd know any of them.”

“Give it time and you can tell me all about it.”, she ignored the shot fired and added, “I believe you owe me a dance.”

“I guess I do, but don't forget that after that you have to leave me alone.”, Penelope reminded her of their deal and Josie would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed. What what did she expect? That after one look Penelope would just fall under her spell when that hand't worked all those times she had tried.

“I remember.”, she assured the girl.

“Good. Then let's go.”

Penelope lead the way to where most of the people were dancing to some charts hit. Josie wanted to take a hold of her hand, but she feared that it would make her change her mind about the deal and she'd just leave immediately.

Being a cheerleader the brunette was comfortable dancing. She knew that she was good at it and she loved when she was good at something.

Feeling the music she started to sway her hips in a borderline sensual way, inching closer to the raven haired girl who raised an eye brow at her action. But she didn't move away so Josie didn't back up. Almost tentatively, and Josie had never been shy, she put her hands on Penelope's hips and pulled her closer. Slowly and always checking if the other girl wanted her to stop. She didn't stop her, she let Josie move her with the beat and the brunette's pulse accelerated a little bit.

 

As much as Penelope wanted to believe that Josie wasn't alluring she couldn't. She still didn't like her, but with all the different colored lights and the alcohol she couldn't help but think that Josie was beautiful. But that was objectively established by society so no one could blame her for thinking that.

Still it bugged her that she didn't find her as ugly as her personality. So Penelope decided to have fun with it. She let the brunette pull her closer. They moved in sync and Penelope took the final step that was separating them so their bodies were flushed together. She felt her breathing against her front and her hot breath against the side of her face. They were so close and since it would be awkward to let her arms just dangle at her sides, she put an arm around Josie's wait and tangled her other in her brown hair. Penelope could swear that she heard the brunette gasp at her action and had to bite her lip to stop herself from smirking.

She didn't know how long the song was, but when the beat suddenly changed she pulled away from Josie in one swift motion. Almost missing the warmth. But just almost.

“I held up my end of the bargain, I hope you do the same.”, she gave her a fake smile and left to find Landon. Her hear was beating faster than usual, but she blamed the RedBull and the dancing. It couldn't possibly be because of Josie after all.

 

Dumbfounded Josie stood in the middle of dancing people. She couldn't believe that Penelope had just left her like that. The nerves of that girl. And there she had been thinking that maybe the other girl was warming up to her. She felt so stupid in that moment and frustration rose in her chest. Josie scoffed and scanned the room for someone eligible to distract her. She hated to be played, which was funny coming from her since she did it all the time, but this time she had been the one who got played.

 

Landon and Hope were getting along splendidly and Penelope smiled at that. Her best friend deserved to be happy and it seemed like he liked the brunette. She joined them and looked back just to find Josie in the arms of some jock. They were standing a little bit too close to be friendly. And in that moment something shot through her head.

You seem so sure of yourself  
Yet you are lost  
But instead of standing still  
You run  
Into the arms of someone  
That you know you don't belong in

Frantically she took out her phone and opened her notes, typing as fast as she could so she wouldn't forget the words. Penelope knew that if she didn't write them down now, she'd forget them. It was always like that whenever she felt inspiration surge through her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you guys think?  
> I loved all of your feedback from the first chapter, thank you so much for the kind words!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game night and new beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not updating sooner, but here you gooo :)  
> I hope the writing isn't rushed and you enjoy the chapter

Penelope had to work the early shift today. It hadn't been hard for her to get out of bed since she didn't get wasted last night and had enough water before she went to bed. Josie, much to her surprise, had kept her promise and hand't approached her for the rest of the night. The brunette had been busy with the jock anyways and hadn't even seen her leave with Landon shortly after two in the morning.

Now she was standing behind the counter, waiting for a new customer to arrive so she could actually do what she was paid to do.

Glancing over to her best friend she could see Landon smiling at his phone. Leaning back a bit to catch a glimpse of his screen she started to grin. Of course he was looking at the picture he had taken with Hope at the party.

“I'd say take a picture it will last longer, but apparently you have already done that.”, she teased him with a smirk on her face.

Blushing bright red Landon put his phone back in his pocket. “You know P, you could be happy for me and offer to talk about her.”

“I am happy for you, but I'm not so sure if I want to hear you tell me once again how beautiful inside and out Hope is.”, Penelope chuckled.

Ever since they had left the party her best friend had talked about the brunette. It had been adorable, but at some point she had actually wanted to go to bed to catch some sleep. He on the other hand had seemed to energized and happy to even think about sleeping.

“But she is! I mean you should have been there when she talked about her studies. She is so passionate and smart and...”

As Landon continued to list all the things he liked about Hope, Penelope started to smile. It had been a long time since he had had an actual crush. And to be honest she liked the idea of the two of them together. But then again she liked everything that made him smile. The only thing that bugged her about Hope was that she was friends with Josie.

The bell above the door brought her and Landon back to reality. Hope approached them with a wide smile. Alone.

“Hey guys.”, the brunette greeted them.

“Hey Hope, I'll get right on your usual.”, Landon smiled widely and while he was buys making the coffee Hope shifted her attention to Penelope.

“How was the party after we left? I hope not too boring?”, the raven haired girl asked.

“Almost unbearable without you guys.”, Hope went along with her teasing.

Penelope genuinely laughed. “Good thing then that you're with us again now. That is the right way to start the day.”

“Oh for sure. I mean I can't imagine something better than two of my favorite people and my favorite drink.”

“Well we're just as delighted to see you.”

“Here you go.”, Landon said and handed Hope the drink, “It's on the house today.”

“Thanks Landon!”, she smiled and her eyes sparkled, “I actually didn't just come for the coffee, I wanted to invite the both of you to a game night today.”

“Game night?”, he asked her to elaborate.

“Yeah Josie, Lizzie, Rafael and I usually get together like once a week and play a board game. It's nothing wild, but if you are interested you are more then welcome to join. Today we're playing Monopoly so that is going to be interesting.”, the brunette explained, looking now more at Landon than Penelope.

“We're in.”, he grinned and Penelope's eyes went wide.

“Oh speak for yourself, but I don't know if I can endure Josie's presence two nights in a row.”, she spoke up.

“Come on P, last night wasn't so bad was it? She honored your deal and left you alone. Even before that she didn't really talk to you.”, he tried to convince her.

Of course she wanted to be there for her friend and be his wing woman with Hope, but Josie would be there too and she just didn't want to deal with her again so soon after being at the same party as the girl. Game night would be a small group and therefor she for sure had to interact with the brunette.

“I'd be there too you know?”, Hope argued and sent her a wink.

“Fair enough, but I'm still not convinced.”, she said unimpressed.

“What if I'd say that there will be snacks and drinks and you can play DJ?”, the brunette didn't give up.

From the corner of her eye she saw the pleading look of Landon and she knew that Hope was trying her best to convince her. So who was she to not only disappoint her new friend, but also her best friend.

“Alright. When and where do we have to be?”, she gave in.

“Seven and I'll send you the location.”, Hope beamed and added, “Oh and can I get a coffee for Josie as well? That'd be great.”

Scoffing Penelope said: “But this one is not on the house. I'll see you later then.”.

Before she left she gave Landon a look to make the drink and get Hope's number.

 

“Good morning sunshine! How are you feeling?”, Josie heard Hope's voice and groaned.

She was lacking a few hours of sleep and her head wasn't feeling so great either. She had had a little bit much to drink last night and was regretting it now.

Sitting up slowly she opened her eyes to be greeted by a smiling Hope who was handing her her coffee.

Gratefully she accepted the drink and took a sip, letting the beverage wake her up.

“How are you so chipper? And why are you already awake and back from a coffee run?”, Josie asked her irritated.

“Because I had less to drink and because I'm a morning person. Just say thank you.”, the girl laughed and sat down next to he legs on the bed.

“Thank you.”

“That's better and you're welcome. So you're going after Jason now?”, Hope seemed curious.

“Who?”, Josie asked, not entirely sure who that Jason guy was supposed to be. She had never been one to remember names and the constant flirting with different people didn't help either. It was rare for her to immediately know who the person was when Hope asked that question. Tough whenever her best friend teased her with Penelope she knew who she meant, but when it came to other people it just wasn't the same.

“Jason. They guy you danced with the entire night? The one with whom you almost went home with?”, Hope reminded her, rolling her eyes at Josie's forgetfulness. But then again she knew that the brunette didn't care for the poor guy. After all if she didn't know who Hope was talking about right away she knew that Josie wasn't even remotely interested. And with Penelope being at the same party it didn't come as a surprise that the brunette didn't remember Jason. He had just been a distraction. Someone she could easily toy with.

“Ah Jason. But no, I'm not going after him and you know that.”, Josie said, faintly remembering the guy now. He really hadn't been anything special.

“Well I know that, but he for sure doesn't.”, Hope laughed, “And now that he has your number he'll probably text you to ask you out. Are you going to tell him before or after the date that you have absolutely no interest in being with him in the way he wants to be with you?”

“Before. He was boring and there was just something about him that I didn't like. Can't put my finger on what it was though.”

“Well his name wasn't Penelope, maybe that's it.”, her best friend teased her with a knowing grin.

“No that's not it. Just because I find her interesting doesn't mean that I cannot find other people interesting.”, Josie argued.

“Whatever you say Jo. I have to leave for classes now, but I'll see you for game night.”, Hope avoided an unnecessary argument and left the dorm room. Inviting Penelope and Landon happened on her account. She liked them and whenever Penelope was around Josie got different. The brunette didn't understand why Josie was so fixed on the barista, but she would do anything in her power to make them work it out so they could actually all hang out and do stuff together. Them all being friends would be so cool and Hope wouldn't have to feel unsure of inviting Landon or Penelope to anything related to her group of friends since they would all get along.

Even though she knew that Hope was just messing with her Josie couldn't help but think about what she said. It somehow bothered her that her best friend would suggest something like her actually liking Penelope. It was just a game for her and she wasn't actually emotionally invested in the barista. That thought alone was preposterous. Penelope Park was intriguing, there was no doubt about that, but she didn't have crush on the girl. Josie Saltzman didn't have crushes after all.

 

Shortly before seven Josie heard a knock on her door. Hope was still in class and would probably be a little late to game night.

The brunette opened the door to Lizzie and Rafael. The two of them were holding hands, like they always did, and smiled at her.

“So you and Jason huh?”, Lizzie teased her, waltzing inside the dorm room.

“Ugh, can you all stop with me and Jason. I danced with him and that's all. I already declined his offer to take me out for dinner so can we please move on?”, Josie huffed annoyed.

“Damn you are in a mood.”, her twin sister held up her hands defensively.

“Good thing we are here now. We can already set up the game.”, Rafael changed the subject.

That was all it took for Josie to lighten up again and with the help of the couple they were set to go after only a couple of minutes. The brunette enjoyed hanging out with Lizzie and her boyfriend. Rafael was a good guy and treated her sister with respect. He was funny, good looking and popular. Basically everything the blonde had ever wanted. Still Josie didn't see sparks flying. But what mattered to her was that her sister was happy and apparently Rafael made her happy.

When she heard another knock on the door she was confused. Hope would just come in since it was her room as well. So who could it possibly be? She hoped that it wasn't Jason, because that would only cause a scene and she was not in the mood.

 

The surprise on the brunette's face made it clear to Penelope that Josie hadn't know about Hope inviting Landon and her. She wasn't sure what to think about that since she had been pretty sure that Josie had convinced Hope to ask them to come. But judging by her face expression the raven haired girl had made a wrong assumption.

“Penelope.”, Josie said, still to baffled to step aside so they could enter.

“Yes, that's my name.”, she rolled her eyes. Why did she think it that coming here would be a good idea agin?

“Couldn't get enough of me so you're back again?”, Josie smirked as she regained her composure much to Penelope's demise.

“I'm here because of Hope not you.”, Penelope stated and brushed past the brunette, using a bit more force then necessary. She couldn't believe that she still tried to flirt with her. How many times did she have to reject her so the girl would finally get the message.

Penelope did her best to ignore Josie and talked with Landon and even Rafael until Hope showed up and they could start to play the game. The raven haired girl had never really played board games. Her free time in high school had consisted of reading books, studying and trying to write. She had hung out with her friends whenever her parents had told her to socialize more and when she met Landon she enjoyed going to the cinema and other places. He had really been the one to make her open up and try new things. Still she was competitive and was set on winning Monopoly. All she needed was luck and the right strategy.

“So how about we make this more fun?”, Josie asked the group, raising an eye brow in a challenging manner.

“What do you mean?”, Rafael asked curious.

“We all bet on ourselves to win and the winner has one free wish. The loser of the game on the other hand gets dared to do something.”, the brunette got excited.

Penelope wasn't stupid so she knew that Josie had only come up with the idea in hopes of winning and annoying her even more. But then again did she not plan on letting Josie win anyways. If she would win, it could give her the opportunity to ask for a more permanent space between them.

“You're on.”, the raven haired girl was the first one to answer. The determination in her voice a clear indicator for her pan to win.

“Good. Any objections?”, the brunette smiled, way too sure of herself for Penelope's liking.

When no one said anything it was settled and everyone focused on the game. Monopoly would take hours so Hope got bags of various snacks and some drinks. As promised Penelope was allowed to connect her phone to the box and play the music.

 

It was almost eleven and Lizzie and Rafael were already broke and had retired to his room. The way they couldn't keep their hands off of each other left no room for imagination for their planes once they got back to his dorm room. They had agreed to give Lizzie a dare some other time since they were obviously not planning on staying until one of the remaining four was declared the winner.

Josie and Penelope were the ones with the most streets and money, while Hope and Landon were on a losing streak. SO it didn't take long for the both of them to blow out of money and properties as well.

“I hate this game.”, Hope muttered and Josie and Penelope had to laugh.

“You're such a sore loser.”, Penelope teased her and leaned closer to Landon. She saw a perfect opportunity to help her best friend out so she whispered: “You should take her for some ice cream. Seize your chance.”

He looked at her with wide and grateful eyes. To be honest Penelope had not thought her advice through. She had been too caught up in the game and in being a good wing woman. So when Hope and Landon left the room she realized that she was now alone with the person she disliked the most.

“Who would have thought that you would come up with something so we could be alone.”, Josie grinned.

“Don't think too much of it. I don't want to be alone with you, but the wish I'll have at the end of all of this will make this torture worth it.”, she replied coldly.

“It won't hurt to be nice you know? All you ever are is rude and angry.”, Josie commented and picked up the dices.

“I'm a very pleasant person to be around, but girls like you just bring out the worst in me.”

“Girls like me? What is that supposed to mean?”, she sounded offended, but also a bit curious at the same time.

“The shallow kind that thinks they that all they have to smile to get offered the world. The kind of girl that is just interested in flings and popularity.”, Penelope elaborated, making sure that each word dripped with dislike.

“And since you know me so well you know that I'm that kind of girl?”, the brunette asked her. 

Penelope noticed that she was pissed and it amused her. But at the same time she couldn't help but realize that this was the first time they were having an actual conversation. Josie didn't come up with flirty remarks but finally showed her normal side. She was curious about how the brunette would react to what she still had in store.

“Well all you have ever shown me points towards that. And from what I've seen at the party I simply cannot be wrong.”, she continued to poke.

 

As the words left Penelope's mouth it hit Josie. She really had been acting like that from the first moment on that they had met. But that was only because she had thought that would get her closer to Penelope. But the barista was different and Josie had known that form the first rejection on. Still she hadn't changed her approach. At the party she had acted a bit different and here she was, alone in her dorm room with Penelope, playing Monopoly.

“What if I were to show you a different side of me? Would you give me a chance or would you just continue to judge me by my first impressions?”, she asked.

“Good thing you used the plural. It's been weeks and I have only seen this side of you.”, the girl avoided answering the question.

“When I win I want to show you a place. Would you come with me or do I have to come up with another wish?”, Josie cautiously asked. She wanted to make sure that Penelope didn't feel pressured into being alone with her.

“If you win, not when.”, the darker haired girl continued to dodge giving her clear answers, so she sighed and they went back to playing the game.

 

Penelope won. Shortly after their first real conversation Josie went through a rough patch and Penelope exploited that.

As Penelope grinned like a little kid, she saw Josie genuinely pout. At a loss for a better word the raven haired girl could describe the action only as adorable. She had seen how much she was looking forward to winning and it also didn't go unnoticed that the brunette had changed her strategy to win her over. Penelope had appreciated that Josie wanted to make sure that she was comfortable with going somewhere with her alone. It showed that she was trying to be better. Sure it didn't change the fact that she still didn't like her, but she got curious about the real Josie, if there was one. The one hiding behind the facade of the popular college girl.

“So am I barred from your coffee shop..?”, Josie asked her and for the first time Penelope registers that Josie hadn't been the only one to act inappropriately. Sure Josie had made unwanted advances, but she had only ever been rude to the girl. The brunette's question showed how abrasive Penelope had been to her and it made her think.

“How about you show me that place you were talking about earlier? Maybe we can start over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penelope is still not a fan of Josie, but at least they are both trying right...? xD


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie shows Penelope her favorite place and a new character is introduced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't make too many spelling mistakes it's really late...   
> Enjoy the chapter! :)

Of all the things Josie thought Penelope would wish for she never saw that one coming. It was no secret that the raven haired girl disliked her and she couldn't really blame her with the way she has been action. The brunette knew that Penelope had appreciated her attempt to redeem herself, but never would she have dreamed of her giving her a real shot.

A wide smile spread across Josie's delicate features. “Really? This is not your way of getting back at me by getting my hopes up and then crushing them by saying that you're just joking?”, she wanted to make sure. Still too surprised to really believe it.

“No, I mean it. I think that we're going to see each other more now that Hope, Landon and I got along so well. So why not try to be friendly around each other?”, Penelope explained, careful not to use the word 'friends'.

“And here I thought you suggested it because you wanted to get to know me better.”, Josie joked, but deep down Penelope's reply kind of hurt.

“Right. Let's not dwell on that and get moving?”, the barista refrained from getting into a banter.

“A girl can dream.”, the brunette mumbled quietly and added louder, “Alright, I hope you are prepared for discovering a great place.”

 

The walk was rather quiet. They didn't talk, they just walked besides each other in a comfortable silence. It surprised both of them that it wasn't awkward. After everything Josie would have expected that it would be weird and one of them would try to make small talk to distract from the strangeness of the situation. But there was no need to fill the silence, the two girls were caught up in their own thoughts and found somewhat comfort in being in the presence of the other.

They were at the beginning of the pedestrian area of the city when Josie halted and announced: “We're here.”

“We're here? You do know that I know this area pretty well right?”, Penelope informed her confused.

“I know. Well we're not exactly here, we need to climb now if you're good with that?”, the brunette couldn't fight a blush creeping to her cheeks.

“Climb?”, the raven haired girl was still not following.

“Just follow me.”, Josie said and turned the corner into a small alley. The alley was dark, there was a lot of garbage laying around and it had a dead end.

“Never picked you for a murderer.”, Penelope laughed.

“Just trust me.”, the brunette rolled her eyes at the comment and pulled down a fire escape ladder.

“That's what killers say right before they you know kill their victim.”, the barista replied jokingly.

“I hope you're not afraid of heights.”, Josie chose to ignore Penelope's remark and started to climb the ladder, only briefly looking back to see if Penelope was following her.

The climb wasn't too long. The building only had six stories, just like most of the other buildings framing the street. The air was colder up on the roof and Josie could feel the wind tearing a bit on her cloths and hair.

She settled on the edge of the building and let her legs dangle from it. There was something dangerous about it, but at the same time it made her feel free.

Penelope sat down next to her. There was a bit of distance between them, but not too much to feel alienating. Her hands gripped the edge and only relaxed after a couple of minutes.

A few stars were already visible and the lights of the light posts and the buildings sparkled almost as much as them. The chatter of the few people walking beneath them was distant and they looked like miniatures. It was serene and somehow Josie felt like up there she could breathe more easily than amongst the crowd at the ground.

“Is this where you bring all your girls and guys?”, Penelope broke the silence, glancing at the brunette's side profile.

“No. I have actually never shown this place to anyone before. I was wandering the streets because I had just gotten into a fight with my twin sister, Lizzie, and stumbled upon it. I know how dumb that sounds. It is an alley with a dead end after all, but I had just needed to get away from people in general so the dark side street seemed very appealing at the moment. This is the place I go to when I need to be alone.”

“Then why bring me here?”, the raven haired girl asked genuinely interested.

“I'm not sure. All you have ever seen of me is the flirty and popular side. You don't know me like Lizzie or Hope, who I have grown up with, do. Everyone is fine with me being the typical cheerleader. They want me because of it. But you never liked that person, never wanted to be around that person even though everybody else would jump at the opportunity. Taking you here is most likely going to show you the most of the real me. The person only my family knows.”, Josie explained, biting her lip and staring down as if there was something especially interesting.

There was silence for a while and Josie got a little nervous. She wasn't used to being so open and vulnerable.

“I'm glad you took me here. I can see why you like this place so much. It's quiet enough to be alone with your thoughts. It'd be a great place to write.”, Penelope said softly, sensing the nervousness of the brunette.

Josie glanced up and was met with Penelope's beautiful eyes. She didn't see the usual dislike and distance, but something she was almost define as fondness.

 

When Penelope looked into Josie's chocolate brown eyes she couldn't help but see her in a different light. She was nothing like she usually was. The confidence and conceitedness was replaced by a softness. It made her smile. Something she thought she would never do in the brunette's presence.

“Why'd you end up here? Was it your dream college?”, she wanted to know.

“Not exactly. I knew that I wanted to study something with media and so did Lizzie. This college was the one where everyone of us got accepted so it was a no brainer to go here. Neither of us wanted to be apart from the others. I know how people say that college is the time to be completely independent and get away from your family to experience something new on your own. But when we thought about it, it occurred to us that we wanted to share this experience. We wanted to play a part in each others college life.”, Josie opened up.

She surprised Penelope by that once again. The raven haired girl had thought that Josie would have had no problem to sever all ties. It was clear to see how much she cared about her sister and Hope, who she saw as a sister.

“And why something with media?”

“Well it's a broad field so I will have a lot of different opportunities and I can figure out what exactly I want to do while I'm studying. I didn't want to set my mind on something specific so soon. Plus, even though you might not be of that opinion, I'm a charming person. I get along with people and I get my way. That's never something bad when it comes to media and people.”

“I can see why some people would think that.”, Penelope chuckled.

“Oh yeah? How so?”, Josie asked, a spark in her eyes that made Penelope think of stars.

“Well”, she began, quickly thinking about what to say, “You don't get flustered around people, you own a room when you enter, you smile at people and know how to make them feel important and your looks are certainty not a disadvantage as well.”

“Did you just call me beautiful?”, the brunette grinned at her teasingly.

“Don't twist my words.”, the barista laughed, “I said that you're not a sight that would have people running away.”

“So I'm beautiful.”, Josie concluded.

Penelope couldn't help but roll her eyes, but unlike all the other times she had to smile. It felt more intimate on the roof top and Josie felt more natural. The raven haired girl had to admit that she liked talking to the brunette. For once she enjoyed their banter and didn't want it to end right away.

“You're so full of yourself. I thought you wanted to show me a different side of you.”, she teased.

“Well there a some aspects that will never change. Like me being beautiful for example.”, the girl smirked and gave Penelope a soft nudge.

Penelope narrowed her eyes in a glare. But there was no venom behind it. Her eyes sparkled with amusement.

After a short silence Josie asked: “You said earlier that this would be a great place to write. Are you a writer?”

The raven haired girl took a deep breath. When it came to her writing she was more self-conscious. People knew that she liked to write, but other than Landon and a few other friends she was close with have never read anything of her. It was something sacred and whenever she let someone read something she exposed her being to them.

“Aspiring writer. I wrote a lot of poems and thoughts on society and the world in high school. I even tried writing books, but I always evolved as a writer and therefor never finished any of them. My parents agreed to giving me this year to get something done. After that I will have to start studying.”, she told her, fiddling with her fingers to relieve herself of the stress that was building up in her chest.

“Let me guess, you think very highly of society and everything you write is about how peachy life is and how great people are?”, Josie teased, aware that she would overstep if she asked her to show her some of her writing.

“Totally.”, Penelope chuckled, “I'll be the next guru for motivation and happiness.”

“Oh I bet.”

From there on they mostly sat in silence and observed the streets. Their occasional conversation flowed and they both got to know some random fact about each other. The past weeks of stiffness felt like they never happened and it was just two people getting to know each other with mutual interest.

When Penelope's phone lit up she glanced down. They had been on the roof for over two hours. It was a text form Landon asking her when she was coming home. Apparently he just got there after hanging out with his crush Hope.

“I need to go. Do you want to stay a little while longer or are you coming down with me?”, the raven haired girl asked.

“I'll come with.”, the brunette replied.

As they climbed down and walked back to the main street Penelope could sense that Josie was unsure of how to bid her goodbye. They got along great up on the roof, but now back on the ground of reality she felt the brunette's nerves again.

“Thank you again for showing me this place.”, Penelope said and reached out to touch Josie's arm reassuringly.

It eased the other girl and she softly smiled at her. “I had a really good time tonight. Even though I lost the game I'm glad that I got to have this.”

“I'll see you around I guess?”

“Wouldn't want to cheat on my favorite coffee place.”

“You better not.”, Penelope laughed and extended her hand.

Raising an eye brow Josie took her hand, shaking it lightly. Their hands lingered more than a normal handshake would have lasted, but it was uncomfortable. It felt like a different version of a hug. Almost as intimate, just with less body contact.

 

When Penelope got home Landon was already asleep. She was kind of glad that he was because it meant that she didn't have to tell him about the events of the rest of the night just yet. He would probably freak out and demand all the details. She would tell him at work and when she was more sure about what exactly she felt about all of it. The Josie she met tonight was someone she really liked. Someone she would love to hang out with again. But Penelope wasn't sure if she would get to see that side of the brunette more often now, or if it was more of a one time thing before she fell back into old habits. Only time would tell.

 

Landon was still sleeping when she left for her shift early in the morning. He would join her around lunch time where she would tell him all about how her night ended and would drill him with questions on how it had been with Hope.

As she was wiping one of the tables in the coffee shop she heard Hope calling out to her: “Hey girl. How is your day going?”

Penelope smiled and turned around to greet the brunette with a hug. 

“It's good, a bit boring without Landon, but he'll be here soon.”, she informed her, casually slipping in when her best friend would be around.

“Yeah he is definitely the kind of guy that makes your day to day better.”, Hope smiled and Penelope had to bite her lip not to chuckle.

“Do you want your usual?”, the barista asked.

“Yes please. But I need something else from you.”

“Game night with Josie again? You really have to work on being more stealthy about suggestions those things.”, the raven haired girl laughed.

“Funny.”, Hope commented, “But no. I was wondering if you could help me move some tables. My project partner hasn't arrived yet and I don't want to make a mess by trying to move these heavy tables around on my own.”

“Sure thing.”, Penelope said and followed Hope. She was kind of disappointed that Hope hadn't invited her to anything. The last two nights had been fun.

Just as they finished moving the tables she heard: “Hope! I'm so sorry I'm late. I'll buy the drinks.”

“Don't worry about it MG. I was early and Penelope was so kind to help me with the tables.”, Hope assured the sweet looking guy.

He had a chill and funny vibe about him and the way he nervously smiled at the two girl made Penelope like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MG is finally here!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mg and the group interact and Lizzie makes a longer appearance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it takes me longer to update atm, but I promise I'll do my best with exams coming up! I didn't proof-read so please don't mind the mistakes if you find them  
> Hope you guys like and enjoy the chapter :)

Hope and MG animatedly discussed their topic and shared laughs. They seemed to be working well together and it made Penelope smile so see her friend so happy. The two of them shared a passion for their studies and that was something not every student could say. She saw so many people study something just because of the money it would earn them later on or because of their parents who wanted them to step into their footsteps.

Landon came a little early so he could spend Penelope's lunch hour with her. When he passed Hope and MG he greeted her with a smile that turned into frown as soon as he turned away to walk over to the raven haired barista.

“Who is Hope with?”, he asked her quietly.

“Do I sense jealousy?”, she teased him. Knowing full well that it was. It wasn't the type of jealously that was irritating though. Penelope knew that her best friend was insecure and any kind of attention that his crush got would make him doubt his chances. His jealously wasn't due to envy, but rather due to worry.

“Don't play with me P. Is he her date and do I have to back off?”, he sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

“Calm down Landon. His name is MG and he's her partner for a project. You can still get the girl.”, she reassured him with a small smile.

Landon visibly relaxed at the words. He wasn't the type that would steal someone's girl. He was too good of a guy for that. But that didn't mean that he didn't have feelings, just that he would never pursue them. Over the couple of years she had known him she had seen him get hurt because of that. Sometimes she had wished that he would just not care and fight for what he wanted. On the other hand she appreciated and respected him so much more for staying away and accepting when someone was taken.

“If you want we could hang out with them during lunch break? I mean they have been working non stop and could also use a bit of time off.”, Penelope suggested. One of the reasons was of course so Landon could spend time with Hope. But she wanted to spend some time with her new friend as well as MG. The guy could possibly become another member of their group.

“Yeah, I think I'd like that.”, her best friend agreed with a nod, assuring himself that it was a good idea.

 

When Penelope's lunch break finally rolled around the two of them made their way over. Hope and MG were still engulfed in whatever it was they were assigned and didn't notice them until they were standing right next to their table that was covered in papers.

“We were wondering if you would mind us sitting with you guys. We got sandwiches and coffee and I have my lunch break.”, Penelope explained.

“I'll never say no to food.”, MG said excitedly and looked at Hope.

“I would never say no to two of my favorite people. I'm sorry for the mess, I hope you guys don't mind.”, the brunette agreed as well.

“It's fine. As long as I don't have to understand what is written on them it won't be a problem.”, Landon replied and made the group chuckle.

Time passed quickly and Landon seemed to be more and more at ease with the situation. He was always weary of new people, much like Penelope, but MG integrated himself so well into the conversations and the group dynamic. Penelope was glad that her original impression of the guy was proven right.

Just as her break was nearing its end she asked: “Have you planned anything for tonight?”

“You mean Hope”, MG asked for a clarification, confused about how Penelope had looked at the both of them.

“Don't be silly. I meant you too.”, she grinned at him.

“Oh. Nice! And no I don't have anything planned. Other than watching Netflix on my own I guess.”, MG chuckled nervously.

“Well we would hate to intrude on that.”, Hope joked, but continued before MG would begin to ramble, “But what about we have a movie night together?”

“I like that plan.”, Landon admitted while Penelope smiled as a response.

“You want me to invite Josie as well?”, the brunette smirked at the raven haired girl. Her look conveyed that she knew that Josie and her had spent some time alone together after finishing the game.

Penelope rolled her eyes. She didn't need Hope to tease her about it. Nothing happened and she was still not friends with the other brunette. They were friendly now, but that was it.

“I'm not going to scream if you invite her.”, she deadpanned, but couldn't help but notice how the thought of Josie being there as well made her somewhat a little bit more excited. Of course that was only because she would get more puzzle pieces to add to the picture that was Josie Saltzman.

“Not even screams of joy?”, Hope continued to press with a mischievous grin plastered over her face.

“God, please make it stop.”, the barista groaned in annoyance.

Before Hope had the chance to reply MG piped up: “Josie as in the sister of Lizzie Saltzman?”

Three confused faces turned to look at MG who was suddenly very aware of all the attention that his question caused. His cheeks were beet red and he seemed to be feeling very hot, if the shininess of his forehead was any indication.

“Yes that would be the one.”, Hope finally said, raising a brow questioningly.

“It's nothing!”, he was quick to dismiss his earlier interest in the matter.

“You have a crush on Josie's twin sister.”, Penelope laughed at his reaction. She could have played along and change the topic, but somehow she didn't want to give MG the easy way out. She liked the guy and as soon as she had made the connection a plan had been forming at the back of her mind.

MG opened his mouth, but Landon cut in: “Dude, don't deny it. She is like a lie detector when it comes to people. I have never seen anyone more skilled at reading people than P right here.”

“Yes. But she doesn't even know I exist. I'm at the bottom of the food chain, she is high up.”, he explained with a sad look on his face, “And don't call her Josie's twin sister, she is her own amazing person.”

An amused smile formed on the raven haired girl's lips: “Standing up for your woman, I respect that.”

That earned her a nervous smile from MG and he sat up straight.

Hope had been eyeing her intently over the course of their conversation and when Penelope wanted to continue, smirk on her lips and a spark in her eyes, she gasped. The brunette had figured out what the barista had been planning.

“Lizzie is with Raf, Penelope. Don't even think about it.”, she warned her.

Innocently the girl turned to look at Hope and said: “Judging from your reaction not only I, but also you have already thought about it. There's no harm in it.”

“No harm? You want to play Hitch the date doctor.”, Hope scoffed.

“Can somebody explain to me what the hell is going on? I feel like I'm missing something.”, Landon cut in and looked at the two girls in confusion.

“Lizzie lost game night. She owes us a dare.”, Hope explained and narrowed her eyes at the barista.

“I wasn't going to suggest to dare her to go on a date with him. From what I've gathered Lizzie would not go to a movie night without Rafael. Maybe not even to a movie night with students from the lower end of the food chain. This dare could be the chance for MG to get to know Lizzie.”, Penelope explained. And she really didn't want more than that. She saw that she could do a friend a favor and she wasn't one to deny someone she liked that.

Somehow Landon and MG looked at Hope to reply. Neither of the guys wanted to support the idea without the brunette's approval. After all she was Lizzie's friend and she knew what was best for the blonde.

“Okay.”, she surprisingly said, “But no meddling P.”

“No meddling.”, the raven haired girl agreed.

Looking at her phone to check the time Penelope saw that her break was almost over and it was time for Landon and her to get back to work. The break had been fun and now she even had plans for after work. It had been a full success.

She stood up and started to walk back to the counter, turning around for a second to quickly add: “Oh and you can invite Josie too.”

 

Penelope could see that her best friend wanted to know about her sudden shift towards Josie, but due to rush hour he didn't get the chance right away. The barista was kind of grateful for that because she didn't quite know how to explain it. She couldn't really say that Josie took her to a somewhat romantic spot and all of her defenses broke down. That wasn't the case after all. It had been more than that.

But as the café get less and less crowded she could see Landon approaching. Her time to ponder about what to say was over.

“So we're liking Josie now?”, he asked.

“No. We're just not hating her anymore. And before you say anything else, yes I was with her after the game ended. She showed me a new spot and we talked. I wanted to give her a chance to show me that she wasn't how I perceived her.”, she explained, fighting the urge of rolling her eyes. 

Saying something positive about the cheerleader was hard for her and she didn't know why. The feeling baffled her if she was being honest. There was just something inside of her that was screaming that she should just continue to act cold towards the brunette. A voice that was telling her that befriending Josie would be a bad idea in the long run.

“But if you don't see her as a friend why invite her?”, her best friend still didn't understand.

Penelope had a choice. She could tell him that Lizzie would be more comfortable if Josie were there too. It would make perfect sense and he wouldn't question it because it was a reasonable explanation. But it wasn't the truth.

“Josie is more complex than I thought.”, she opted for the truth, “There is just something about her that doesn't make sense. You know how intrigued I am with people. I want to understand them. Often they're just shallow and horrible. I thought that about her, but after last night I think there is more to her than meets the eye.”

“So you're interested in her?”, Landon concluded unsure.

“I wouldn't phrase it like that. I just want to get her.”, Penelope replied and her eyes widened when she realized what she had said.

“You want to get her?”, he smirked now.

“I want to understand her. That kind of getting!”, the barista scrambled to say and shot him a glare. It did nothing though, her best friend was still grinning at her with a teasing spark in his blue-grey eyes.

“Whatever you say P.”

 

Josie was laying on her bed, listening to music and procrastinating to do her assignment. She had always been the kind of student who did things last minute and somehow she continued that tradition in college. Even though she had sworn that she wouldn't. Well who had she been kidding.

Last night with Penelope had been great for her. It had felt like things between them had shifted and she was on a good way to being with her in the way she wanted. The raven haired girl had looked beautiful in the dim light and with the wind in her dark hair. Josie had felt like she could actually trust Penelope and talk to her about things. She had wanted to open up even more than she did, but something had held her back. Something was still holding her back and she couldn't figure out what it was. The barista was just a girl so why was it so different?

“Daydreaming about a certain girl are we?”, Hope's voice brought her back to reality and a blush crept onto her cheeks.

“No! My head is empty, full of nothing. You know how I am when I'm avoiding my work.”, Josie was quick to say.

“Penelope invited you to our movie night.”, Hope casually said, letting Josie's lie slide.

That had Josie sitting up straight. She wasn't sure if her best friend was playing with her or if she was being serious. It could definitely be the first since she knew how much Hope liked it to tease her about the dark haired girl.

“Are you lying to me?”, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Hope smirked and sauntered over to her own bed. As if she had all the time in the world the brunette put her bag next to her bed and plopped down on her mattress.

When she found Josie still looking at her intently she smirked. “Oh I didn't know you were that interested. It's around nine at MG's place. The guy I'm working on the project with.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. Hope knew that she didn't want these information. She hated that her best friend could mess with her like that. Before the barista there had never been a person Hope could tease her about and now that she could the brunette was clearly taking advantage of it.

“Penelope invited me?”, Josie tried hard not to sound too interested.

“Yeah that's what I said. Lizzie was invited first though.”, Hope told her as she flipped through a magazine. The girl was unbelievable.

“Lizzie?”

“Your sister.”

“I know that Lizzie is my sister. Why did you invite her first? They don't even know her that well.”, Josie pressed. The entire conversation was irritating her. Why did Hope have to make it so hard to understand what was going on.

“MG has a little crush on your sister and we thought it would be sweet if he had actually the chance of getting to know her. So no Rafael, because that would be cruel right? And then when Penelope was getting back to work she said that you could come too. So yeah, you were kind of a late addition.”, Hope finally spit out all of the information.

Josie had no words. She just sat there with wide eyes and and open and closing mouth. It must have looked ridiculous.

“We're going to use the dare to get Lizzie to agree.”, her best friend added.

“Does Lizzie know?”, she was finally able to speak again.

“No, I thought it would be best if you told her how her night would look like today.”, Hope looked up from her magazine and into Josie's eyes. The brunette could see the amusement behind her nonchalant facade.

 

Josie knocked on Rafael's door. She heard shuffling and curse words from behind the wood and it gave her more details about what they were doing than she wanted to know.

Lizzie opened the door, hair still messy, and wearing only one of her boyfriend's huge shirts.

“I can come back later.”, Josie trailed off. But she knew that she had interrupted their activity and now was a good a time as any to talk to her twin sister.

“It's all good. Just let me get dressed more appropriately and then we can go grab some coffee?”, the blonde suggested, avoiding the phrase 'getting dressed' as if her current state had not told a story itself.

“Sounds good.”, the brunette agreed.

It only took Lizzie five minutes to look 'appropriate' again and the blonde gave her a huge smile as she closed Rafael's door.

“How has my favorite sister been? I heard you and Penelope were the last ones standing. How did that go?”, Lizzie asked suggestively.

“Stop implying that I'm sleeping with her. I'm not. But it went surprisingly well. We talked and I think she is finally starting to like me.”, she told her.

“That's progress. I hope it pans out for you. Otherwise you would have wasted so much time on her that you could have spent on someone better. I mean I still don't get why you're not dating someone on the football team. Or any other well-liked team in fact.”

It had always been like that. Lizzie would recommend a steady relationship with someone popular. But Josie had never found someone that was able to keep her interested so she had opted for being the fun and flirty twin. They had to be popular and wanted. That's what they had always wanted and they always got whatever their hearts had desired.

Penelope didn't fit into their plan. She didn't attend the college and wasn't well known in the community. But Josie told herself that she wanted the barista because for the first time she had to chase someone. It was something new and exciting, but as soon as she got what she wanted she could move on to someone that fitted into their plan of how their lives were supposed to go.

“It's not going to be a waste of time, don't worry.”, she assured her sister.

“That's good. We have a really good thing here.”, Lizzie said matter of factly. Their conversations about relationships were always like a business meeting. There wasn't much warmth or emotion in them, just their perceptions on how it would make them look.

“Speaking of having a good thing.”, Josie began, “We're having a movie night with Hope, Landon, Penelope and MG.”

“What's an MG?”, Lizzie furrowed her eye brows.

“Someone Hope studies with I think. We want you to be there.”, Josie informed her.

“No. I mean Hope can associate with whomever she likes, but I don't know this MG guy and hanging out with two no names two nights in a row is not going to work. I have a party to attend to. Rafael has been talking about it all day.”

“Rafael will survive going to the party alone. We use the dare Lizzie. Hope really wants you to be there.”

“No way. I need to show up at the party.”, the blonde insisted.

“Look at it like that. If you miss this party it's going to add to your mystery. It could be a really good thing for you.”, Josie tried to convince her.

Lizzie thought about it as they closed in on the café where Penelope worked at. Josie hadn't even noticed she was leading her sister to the barista's work place. The blonde had never been to the café so it had been entirely her subconscious that got them here. To Penelope.

“Okay, I'll have a movie night. I mean I always appreciate quality time with my sisters and if it help my reputation as well it's a total win for me.”, her twin agreed after her pondering it over.

“Great. I assure you, it'll be fun. Plus you could play wing-woman for me. That way I can move on and forward faster.”, the brunette smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes. After all it was business talk.

She opened the door for Lizzie and when she stepped through the door her eyes immediately searched for Penelope. She found her working one of the machines and as the sound of the bell made it's way through the coffee shop she looked up. Meeting Josie's eyes and holding their eye contact for a couple of second.

Lizzie's eyes moved from Josie to Penelope and then back to her sister.

“Whatever makes you happy.”, she said and the brunette saw something flicker in her eyes. But it was gone as soon as t had appeared.

“What?”, she asked confused.

“If it makes you happy I'll be your wing-woman. I mean so you can move on and forward right?”, Lizzie repeated her words as well as Josie's from earlier. Her voice sounded different though, but Josie didn't think twice about it as she walked up to the counter to place her order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think Lizzie was thinking at the end?  
> Also you'll be getting some Posie, MG and Lizzie, Hope and Landon interaction in the next chapter :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! I had so many exams the past couple of weeks that I didn't have the time to write anything of quality. I'm done with exams for this semester though so I'll have time to write again.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Penelope saw Josie and her twin sister approaching her. She had spotted the two as soon as they had walked through the door. Judging by their face expressions they were clearly talking about something more interesting than gossip. The barista even noticed something weird about Lizzie when she said the last thing before Josie headed straight towards her. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but the blonde seemed to call bullshit on something her sister had said.

Before Josie could even greet her Penelope said: “Skinny iced vanilla latte coming right up.”

She didn't want to see how Josie would act. She would never say that she wanted to preserve the better image she had of the brunette since last night, but that was definitely the case. Somehow Penelope didn't want to go back to hating her.

“Thanks. By the way we're looking forward to movie night.”, the brunette gave her a dazzling smile.

Working the machine the raven haired girl didn't look up, but she still smiled. Her plan to introduce MG to Lizzie was working perfectly.

“I'm glad you both can make it. Landon and I weren't planning on doing anything special tonight so it seemed like a fun idea to meet up with all you guys again.”, she said and handed Josie her drink.

“Admit it, since you started hanging out with me you life has been more interesting.”, the brunette smirked at her.

She was dangerously close to being her usual self again and Penelope had to suppress a grimace. It hadn't even been five minutes and Josie seemed to have slipped right back into her old ways. She didn't even know if she expected better of the twin, but it was still disappointing. The barista didn't want their progress to go to waste just because Josie had a reputation to uphold. There was no one besides her sister that she knew in the coffee shop but still she seemed to feel the need to act like her flirty shallow self.

“Since Hope has entered my life it's been great. So if you meant that then yeah I have to agree.”, Penelope coldly dismissed her.

A frown appeared on Josie's face and for the first time it bothered the raven haired girl to shoot the brunette down. Maybe she had overreacted and Josie didn't even mean it in the way Penelope had interpreted it.

Seeing her twin lost for words Lizzie spoke up: “I'll have a regular coffee please.”

Penelope gave Landon a nod and he got right on it.

“So Penelope”, the blonde started, “What did I sign up on? What kind of movie are we all watching? Because let me tell you, I will not suffer through two hours of some badly made action movie with absolutely no plot.”

“But you wouldn't mind an amazing action movie? I mean they do exist.”, Penelope replied. She was thankful for the blonde because the whole situation had been one second away from being awkward and uncomfortable.

“That's true. I wouldn't mind one of those, even though it's not my go to choice.”

“What would that be? A cheesy rom com?”, the barista teased.

Lizzie glared at her, only betrayed by the small smile in the corner of her lips. “You're funny. I might be a stereotype in some aspects, but I do have great taste in movies.”, she claimed.

“Yeah she's a real sucker for horror movies. They're not my cup of tea, but she really digs them.”, Josie joined the conversation.

“You might be my favorite twin.”, Penelope smirked at Lizzie. But as soon as she had said the words Josie's face fell and regret filled Penelope's chest. Why couldn't she just stop making the brunette feel bad. She had literally said three sentences to her and two of them had hurt her.

This time it was Landon who saved her from another uncomfortable silence as he handed Lizzie her drink.

“Enjoy.”, he smiled at the sisters and without another word the two made their way to one of the tables.

As soon as they were out of earshot Landon turned to his best friend and commented: “I thought we were no longer hating her. What was all this about?”

“I don't know.”, she mumbled. She hated how he had called her out, but she couldn't be mad at him when she would have done the exact same thing if their roles had been reversed.

“P you're my best friend and I usually get you, but with Josie I have no clue what you'll do next.”, Landon shook his head in disbelieve. It was clear to see that he thought that she was in the wrong right now.

“Well I can't changed what I said.”, Penelope tried to end their conversation about her misstep. She was feeling uncomfortable and wanted to forget about it as soon as possible.

“No, but you can apologize. YOU invited her to our movie night, so maybe it would be a good idea to say that you're sorry for being mean so it won't be a disaster when she hangs out with us later today.”, he advised her.

The raven haired girl rolled her eyes. He was totally blowing this thing out of proportions and made her feel even worse than she already did. It hadn't been right, but he should just get off her back. But then again she knew that he was right.

“Alright.”, she sighed and her best friend gave her a surprised but happy smile.

 

“Wow she was rude.”, Lizzie said as Josie and her sat down at one of the tables.

“Yeah.”, the brunette mumbled, a sour expression on her face. She had hoped that things were different between them now, but apparently she had gotten her hopes up for nothing. It was true that her one comment was kind of what she would usually say, but Penelope didn't have to jump at the first opportunity to go back to hating her.

“Remind me again why I'm being your wing-woman woman tonight.”

“Because I nicely asked you to.”, Josie replied bitter. The feeling inside her chest was something she had never felt before. It was almost as if Penelope's words had hurt her. But she was Josie Saltzman and she didn't get hurt.

“Okay now you're just in a mood.”, Lizzie rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee.

“I'm sorry Lizzie. It was just unexpected.”, Josie apologized.

“Really Jo? Because all you ever say when you talk about her, which you do a lot by the way, you tell me how she coldly dismisses all of your advances.”, the blonde pointed out.

Her sister had a valid point. Maybe it had been naïve of her to think that they were becoming friends. But after last night Josie had really thought that Penelope had warmed up to her. After all she had told her things no one of her college friend knew about. She had really started to let her in and to be rejected by the raven haired girl after that was just something she had never had to deal with before. It stung more than she wanted to admit.

Before the brunette could reply to her sister though, Penelope stood besides her with an unreadable expression.

“Josie can I steal you away for a moment?”

“Sure.”

Surprised by the action Josie put her coffee down and followed Penelope to the staff room. It wasn't really big, but no one else was there so they had more privacy than in the main area with all the other customers.

The other girl closed the door and refused to look at her. If Josie didn't know any better she would say that Penelope was nervous. One thing she was sure of though. Landon had been the one to push the barista to talk to her. She didn't know how she should feel about it, but the spark of hope inside her chest pushed all of her thoughts to the back of her mind.

After a minute of complete silence she sighed and surprised herself with her words: “Penelope it's fine. We don't have to make a big deal out of it. Just let's not go back to how it used to be. Please?”

That snapped the raven haired girl out of her fidgeting and her eyes met Josie's. Utter disbelieve stared back at her and for a second the brunette was worried about what would come next.

“Come again? I made a mistake and you're saying stuff to make me feel better?”

Josie couldn't help but shyly smile at her. Penelope looked beautiful with her wide eyes and the fact that she had approached her to apologize, even though she still had to properly do that, was enough for the brunette to feel warm inside. The barista cared enough to want to mend things between them so of course she would meet her half way. Or rather walk almost the entire way towards her.

“Look, I know that I've been difficult to deal with.”, she started but Penelope's hand on her arm immediately shut her up. Delicate fingers softly closed around her wrist and tugged her a step closer.

“Josie. I'm here to apologize so please let me do that.”, Penelope gently said and gave her a tentative smile, “I'm sorry for what I said. I know that we wanted to start over and what I said was just counterproductive.”

The sincerity in her voice rendered Josie speechless. She had expected to hear a half hearted 'sorry', but she had actually gotten a real apology from Penelope. Normally she would just say that they could leave her with their sorry ass alone because she doesn't accept apologies when the entire crowd would always be on her side. But of course the raven haired barista was different. Everything with Penelope was always different. So now she was standing there a bit awestruck and with a slightly open mouth.

“So we're good?”, Penelope wanted to know, a bit concerned by the lack of words coming from the brunette.

The question made Josie get ahold of herself again. “Yeah. We're good.”

“Good, because I don't want to lose whatever this is either.”, Penelope assured her with a strong voice.

Josie just smiled a smile not many people have ever seen gracing her features. She didn't trust her voice to come out as steady as the other girl's had. Actually the brunette was worried that if she did try to speak she would sound choked up and then Penelope would surely be smug about it.

“I'd say you should get back to your sister because your coffee is going to get cold, but it's already iced...But I do need to get back to work.”, the barista teased, still holding Josie's wrist with her warm fingers.

“Of course. You could have lead with your coffee is going to get watery though.”, Josie smirked, trying to block out the sensation Penelope's touch was sending up through her arm into entire body.

“That's true. I don't want to get a bad review by the popular Josie Saltzman after all.”, the raven haired girl teased and couldn't help but chuckle at her own comment.

“No, you really don't. That would be bad for business. But you got this whole sincerity and kindness thing towards me going on for you right now, so I wouldn't even dare do that. Even if the coffee were more water than actual coffee.”, Josie honestly replied and turned her hand so that Penelope's fingers loosened around her wrist and skilfully took the raven haired girl's hand in her own.

“Well lucky me then.”, Penelope playfully rolled her eyes and gave Josie's hand a gentle squeeze, “I'll see you later Josie.”

With that the barista was out the door and on her way back to work. The cheerleader was left alone in the staff room with a slightly accelerated heartbeat and a stupid grin on her face. She was kind of glad that Penelope wasn't there anymore. She would have only mocked her for her wide smile that surely made her look like some kind of lunatic. Hell even the brunette would make fun of herself if there had been a mirror on one of the walls.

“Josette Saltzman!”, Lizzie's loud voice brought her back from her reverie, “Has she put you under a spell or why on earth are you looking like this into the far distance?”

 

“Penelope Park are you blushing?”, Landon laughed as she got next to him behind the counter.

“No.”, she said a bit too fast. He was stating the obvious, but she couldn't really admit that. The small gesture of affection between Josie and her had left her blushing like a teenager in high school. Her cool pretense that she had successfully upheld towards the brunette had vanished and now she was beet red. Josie had been smooth and it had caught the raven haired barista off guard.

“Right, so you just got a sunburn in the staff room?”, Landon joked. He was way too happy about this.

“There is this one small window that intensifies the sun rays so that's entirely possible.”, Penelope weakly argued.

“That's the best you can come up with P? Now I'm seriously worried about you.”, her best friend grinned at her.

“Don't you have some chores you have to do?”, Penelope glared at him and scanned the room for the tables farthest away from her best friend who was annoying her more than usual.

Usually it was Penelope who teased Landon and not the other way around. It was an unfortunate turn of events and she didn't like it at all. In addition to that her best friend was teasing her about being smitten with Josie and that was just the cherry on top of the cake.

Scoffing she left a laughing Landon behind to find something to do that was not in the vicinity of him.

 

Their shift had ended a little over an hour ago and Penelope was getting ready for movie night. She was slightly more nervous than the last few times she went out and to top it all off her bed resembled Landon's from the night they went to the party. Clothes were piling up on it and a frustrated groan escaped her lips. This entire thing was getting ridiculous.

“Are you okay?”, Landon shouted from the main room, not accustomed with Penelope fussing over what to wear.

“I'm fine! I just noticed that my favorite shirt is stained!”, she lied, not wanting to admit that she didn't know what to put on.

When Landon didn't reply she was glad. She didn't want to endure another round of him teasing her. It had been enough of that to at least last the next couple of months.

Turning all of her attention back to the load of cloths on her bed she ran her fingers through her dark locks. Penelope wanted to look good tonight, but at the same time she didn't want to seem like she was trying too hard. The reason behind that intention was beyond her though.

It took her almost an hour longer than usual to settle for an outfit. Penelope ended up choosing tight black jeans with a beautiful off the shoulders black blouse with a red floral pattern on it. To top it off she added a golden necklace that was so long that it reached far below her neckline.

As she entered the main living area Landon whistled. “Looking good tonight P. Are you ditching movie night for a date night?”

“This is casual. It works perfectly fine for a movie night.”, Penelope dismissed his insinuation even though it pleased the raven haired girl to hear that she was pulling the outfit off.

“Normally you don't bless me with this kind of look for our movie nights. You always go for sweatpants and a hoodie.”, her best friend commented.

“That's because our movie nights are at home and not a walk away.”, Penelope pointed out.

“Well whatever the reason is, you look beautiful P.”, Landon honestly said and pulled her into a side hug.

“Thanks.”, she replied as she relaxed into his embrace. She was thankful for the lack of Josie related comments and how he just made her feel special.

 

“Josie you look like you're ready to go to an audition.”, Hope chuckled when the brunette exited their bathroom.

The twin was wearing perfectly fitting white pants and a navy blouse with a red ribbon tied as a bow around her collar.

“Don't be ridiculous, this is an every day outfit.”, Josie brushed her best friend's comment off.

“True, it's an every day you see Penelope Park outfit. You look cute.”, she laughed and went back to reading her book.

Hope was right. Josie always liked to be stylish whenever she left her dorm room, but when she knew that she was seeing the raven haired girl she always put in some extra effort. Who could blame her though? The barista was gorgeous and she wanted to impress her. She had wanted that since the first time she layed eyes on her and now that they were getting closer it was especially important that she looked her best.

“Since you're done getting ready I think we should head out to collect our two baristas. I bet that Josie doesn't want to be late to seeing her crush again.”, Lizzie piped up.

“Since when are we calling her my crush now?”, Josie frowned.

“Since I saw you with her in the coffee shop.”, the blonde stated and got up from her bed to walk towards the door, clearly signaling Josie that she could keep whatever she wanted to say to Lizzie's statement to herself.

The trio walked downstairs and through the cool summer night towards the building MG lived in. They had agreed to meet up with Landon and Penelope in front of the building so they wouldn't get lost on the way of trying to figure out which room was MG's.

They almost arrived simultaneously with the two best friends. When Josie saw Penelope walking towards her she almost stopped in her tracks. The raven haired girl was looking even more beautiful tonight and it made her brain short circuit for a second.

Hope was the one who saved her by quickly putting a hand on her upper arm to drag her with her. The brunette was thankful for her action, but also embarrassed. Since when did a pretty girl startle her so much that she stopped functioning?

After exchanging greeting the group of five made their way to MG's room. Lizzie leading the way while Hope was walking besides Josie and Landon and Penelope were trailing behind.

“She looks nice tonight.”, Hope whispered so only the brunette could understand her.

“Penelope always does.”, Josie replied, “But yeah she looks especially good tonight.”

“Maybe you have a shot after all.”, Hope smiled and against the twin's will she felt a tingling sensation shoot through her stomach.

It only took one second for MG to enthusiastically open the door when Lizzie knocked. He was wearing a nice colorful shirt with black sweatpants that could be deemed acceptable to wear during the day.

“Hey guys! I already set everything up so all we have to do now is choose the movie.”, the guy grinned at them, showing off his white teeth. He looked absolutely adorable.

They all entered his room and introduced themselves to their host. At least the twins did since the other three were already acquainted with MG.

“Are you two leaving us at a certain point tonight?”, their bubbly host asked, motioning to Josie and Penelope.

“No why would we?”, the barista asked irritated while Hope and Landon burst into laughter, sending each other an amused look.

“You both look really nice so I was just assuming that you were going somewhere after this.”, MG explained himself and was suddenly very insecure.

“This is a casual outfit.”, the two girls said at the same time, making Josie look at Penelope while the latter just bashfully started at the floor.

The brunette's heart skipped a beat. Penelope just looked so cute and the spark of hope that she had felt earlier in the staff room started to burn a little brighter. She wouldn't let her mind go too far and think about how the raven haired girl might have dressed up because she knew she was gong to see her tonight. But still she felt a smile make its way onto her face.

 

Penelope tried to hide the blush that was currently burning on her face. She couldn't believe that MG had actually pointed out how Josie and her looked especially pretty tonight. But then again she couldn't blame the guy. He was innocent and seemed like the kind of person who would just accidentally put his foot in it.

“Penelope threw this on last minute. We were already late and she didn't have time to overthink the outfit. All she knew was that she didn't want to go outside looking like she just came from the gym.”, Landon spoke up on her account.

She could always count on her best friend to save her. Of course he would tease her and make comments when it was just the two of them, but as soon as other people were involved he stuck up for her in the best way he could.

“Well let me tell you P, this is totally working for you.”, MG gave her a kind smile and the situation was forgotten.

The group finally settled in. There were a couple of bean bags in front of the bed and MG immediately plopped down into the one which seemed to be his usual seat. Penelope made sure that Landon was sitting next to Hope on the bed. Even though they probably would have ended up next to each other anyways. All she now had to do was to make sure that Lizzie sat next to MG.

But Josie already had her covered. The brunette shot her sister a look making the blonde roll her eyes as she took the seat next to their host. Their arrangement had Josie sitting next to Penelope.

While MG was scrolling through different movies that had everybody commenting, the raven hair girl leaned over to Josie.

“I would say thank you for handling it, but it looked like you played it so that your sister thinks that she is doing you a favor.”, she whispered.

Josie turned her head slightly so her face was only inches away from Penelope's. With a small smirk she replied: “What makes you think that she isn't?”

Of course the taller girl was flirting with her again, but somehow the barista didn't mind. Something had changed the previous night and in the staff room. Plus her line was different to the ones she had delivered over the past couple of weeks. It was sort of more honest. Sure it could be interpreted as flirty but also as a sincere question.

“To birds with one stone huh?”, Penelope asked with a raised eye brow.

If her answer had surprised the brunette she didn't show it: “Exactly, I wasn't about to let an opportunity like this go to waste.”

Since Penelope couldn't come up with an answer to that she turned her attention back to the screen. The others were still arguing over which movie to watch, but the raven haired girl actually didn't care. She was hyped either way. And it wasn't because she was hanging out with her two best friends, a potential new best friend and a blonde twin. Penelope was entirely aware that it was Josie who made her feel excited. The beautiful brunette had her attention and she was looking forward to get to know her a little better. To get another puzzle piece that would get her closer to the full picture that was Josie Saltzman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josie and Penelope are finally getting somewhere! Question is how Lizzie will interact with MG and what role she'll play when it comes to Posie


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments really put a smile on my face every time I read them. I'm so thankful for everyone here :)  
> I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. There is a lot of Josie and Penelope interaction in this one

After a discussion that was way too long for Penelope's taste they finally settled on watching Batman Begins. She was pleased with their choice since she didn't think she could watch some sappy rom-com or some other mediocre movie. The raven haired girl had always been a fan of the DC universe for it was in her opinion darker than Marvel. Movies that were dark had always appealed to her. They made her think about the choices of the characters and inspired her to write quotes and small texts on certain topics. As an aspiring writer she viewed movies as well as series and books as an opportunity to kick off a train of thought that could possibly lead to something of quality.

As the movie started rolling MG switched off the lights. It gave it more of a cinema vibe and soon she could hear Hope and Landon munching on the snacks that their host had provided them with. 

Smiling she focused on the screen. Her best friend had always been the first one to go for the snacks. Every time they had went to the cinema he had snuck in his favorite sweets and chips so he could 'fully enjoy the experience' as he put it.

Next to Josie MG was whispering comments to Lizzie. Penelope couldn't really make out what exactly he was saying, but from the few sentenced she picked up on it seemed like he was geeking out on the blonde. It was obvious that the guy loved comics and knew a lot about each character and their journey in them. To her surprise Lizzie didn't look annoyed. The barista would even go so far to call her interested in what MG had to say.

“Have you seen the movie before?”, Penelope asked Josie quietly.

“No. Have you?”, the brunette answered.

“Yeah. Batman is my favorite hero. A lot of people like Superman best, but I honestly think that he is kind of boring.”, Penelope admitted. She was curious how and if the brunette would continue their conversation.

“What do you mean? As far as I'm concerned he's the good guy that protects humanity from all kinds of threats. How can a fighter for the greater good be boring?”

“I don't disagree with what you're saying, I just think that he's a bit plain. Superman always does the right thing, is the voice of reason and gets the girl. Batman is different. He has his flaws, looses his girl, has an interesting dynamic with Catwoman who's a criminal and does the things that need to be done even if it makes him unpopular with the people he's defending. Bruce Wayne is human and everything that comes with it.”, Penelope explained.

The brunette didn't answer, but Penelope could feel her looking at her. When she turned her head Josie was smiling softly at her.

“What?”

“Nothing. It's just that it makes sense that you would feel like that.”, Josie replied quietly. It was almost like she was nervous to express her opinion.

“Why's that?”, the barista wanted to know. The insinuation that the brunette felt like her answer made sense spiked her curiosity.

“You don't like perfect.”, Josie simply stated, but continued, “You know that perfect doesn't exist and that's probably why you don't like people who just show what they think people want to see. That's why you didn't like me.”

Penelope had noticed the small crack in the brunette's voice at the end, so she tentatively reached out to take Josie's hand.

“Yeah. People are complex and I want to understand them. If I'm going to befriend someone I want to really know them. Not just a version of them. I want the real deal.”

“You do know that that's scary right? To show someone who you really are. It's easier to appear happy and perfect than to let someone in.”, Josie mused.

The raven haired girl was aware that the taller girl was talking more about herself now than about people in general. She was opening up to her in a safer and more theoretical way.

“Appear is the right word. It's just a facade that one upholds to not get hurt. I believe that you can only ever be truly happy when you let people in. Friendship and love have to come from a place of truth and vulnerability. You can't build on something that's fake.”

She was met with silence. Penelope could feel Josie's hand slipping out of hers and when she looked up contemplation and sadness were written all over the brunette's face. She probably thought that Penelope was rejecting her in some way again. But that wasn't the case so the raven haired girl tightened her fingers around Josie's soft hand. That made the twin look up into Penelope's eyes.

“I'm not judging you.”, she assured her softly, the movie entirely forgotten. Josie was all Penelope could focus one. The conversation that they were having held so much meaning and the barista was set on making this their way to improve their relationship.

“Then what is it that you're doing?”. There was no malice or anger in her voice, just insecurity.

“I just want to know what you're scared of.”

 

Josie could see that Penelope was honestly interested in hearing her answer. However the sincerity in her eyes assured her that it would be okay if she took the easy way out and would changed the subject.

But something inside of her hindered her from doing so. The things Penelope had said had struck a cord within her. The only question remaining was wether or not she wanted to trust the raven haired girl and let her in even more than she already had on the roof top. If she wanted something real with her.

The thought of not exploring things further with Penelope or even going back to their old ways scared her more than the thought of opening up though. And that realization itself was terrifying for the brunette.

“When you were a kid have you ever pictured what your life would look like once you were older?”, Josie asked.

“Of course.”, Penelope replied, unsure of where this question was supposed to lead them.

“I always pictured myself as the popular girl that has it all.”, the brunette confessed.

“Well you are that girl.”

“Exactly. I don't want to loose that just because I allow people to see the not so pretty things about me. I don't want to give up everything that I have.”

As soon as the words had left her mouth she drew in a sharp breath. The brunette couldn't believe that she had actually admitted to the truth that was a huge part of the person that she was. But she couldn't take it back now, it was irreversibly out there.

“Last night when you showed me your spot you were the most beautiful I have ever seen you Josie.”

Josie was at a loss for words. Tears were burning at the back of her eyes and threatened to fall. Penelope's eyes were looking at her softly and the barista's words were replaying over and over again in Josie's mind. It had been the sweetest thing anyone had ever told her. And the fact that it had been Penelope who had said it made her heart ache even more. 

She wanted to kiss her. Never in her life had she ever wanted to kiss someone so badly. But it wasn't the right moment so she settled for intertwining their fingers. Her's were trembling just a tiny bit, but Penelope's strong yet delicate hold made her feel safe.

With a pounding heart Josie averted her eyes to look back at the screen. She had missed out on the beginning of the movie and she knew that she would not be able to focus on the rest. The raven haired girl was still holding her hand and she still felt giddy.

 

When the credits started rolling she felt Penelope letting go of her hand. Disappointment washed over her, but she knew that it had been only a matter of time before she did so. They couldn't walk around holding hands forever even though that didn't seem like the worst idea to Josie.

MG switched the lights back on and grinned widely. It was clear to see that he had enjoyed the movie and talking to Lizzie.

They talked for a while until Hope checked her phone for the time. 

“I think we should all head back. It's already pretty late and I have a morning lecture I can't miss.”, she informed the group with a tired yawn.

“Yeah, P and I have an early shift as well. And if we continue like this I don't think I'll be able to get any order right.”, Landon chuckled.

“And we definitely don't want that. I remember the time when you gave a cinnamon nut muffin to a woman who was allergic.”, Penelope pointed out laughing.

Turning beet red out of embarrassment her best friend replied: “You laugh now, but in that moment we were both panicking.”

“That's true. So on that note we should really head home.”, Penelope agreed and stood up.

Everyone made sure that they had all of their belongings before walking towards the door. It had been a fun night and they had all gotten along really well.

After saying goodbye to MG the group of five made their way out of the building. Josie didn't want the night to end, but she knew that there was no way that she could prolong it any further. She was nervous about how she should part ways with Penelope. They had never hugged before and the brunette was unsure if she could go in for one now.

To her relief Landon offered to take Hope back to the dorm room. Penelope gave Hope a hug and winked at her best friend.

With the two walking away she was left with Lizzie and Penelope, but before anyone could say anything her sister's phone went off and she accepted the call, distancing herself from the two girls.

It couldn't have gone better, but now that they were alone Josie was getting even more nervous. If the others were still there she would have let Penelope decide on how to say goodbye. However now they were kind of forced to talk to each other and the brunette had no idea on what to say. She was feeling too much to make sense of it and the uncertainty of their relationship wasn't helping at all.

“Seems like tonight is really playing into your cards huh?”, Penelope said with a smirk.

After a moment of confusion Josie chuckled: “True. I guess someone wants me to get more one on one time with you.”

“Well it might sound out of character for me, but I'm not complaining.”

“It definitely sounds like someone else has taken over your body.”, Josie smiled happily and decided to be brave, “And while your still in your state of confusion how about you give me your number?”

“Communicating through Hope isn't good enough for you?”, Penelope teased.

“I just think that it would be even better if I could talk to you directly.”, the brunette replied shyly, eyes locked onto the ground. The bravery she had felt just a minute earlier had evaporated and had been replaced by an uncharacteristic bashfulness.

When she didn't hear Penelope reply Josie looked up to meet the other girl's eyes. There was a spark in them that she couldn't really assign an emotion to. All she could do was stare back at the raven haired barista. It still left her speechless how much she felt whenever Penelope was really looking at her.

Still remaining quiet Penelope took her phone out of her back pocket and held it out to the college girl. The brunette narrowed her eyes briefly in assessment before a happy smile turned the corners of her lips up. She took the phone and saved her number before giving it back to the barista.

“Thank you.”, Josie breathed out.

“For what? You still don't have my number, I'll have to text you for that.”, Penelope inquired with an amused smirk.

The brunette chuckled, but got serious once she opened her mouth again: “No for what you said earlier. I don't tell people things that are this private, so thank you for listening and putting a smile on my face when I was feeling insecure.”

Instead of saying anything Penelope closed the distance between them and pulled the brunette in for a hug. Josie wrapped her arms tightly around the smaller girl and closed her eyes. She knew that the raven haired girl could probably feel her heart beating against her chest, but she didn't care. Penelope was hugging her and pure bliss was spreading through her veins.

“I'll text you.”, the barista mumbled into her hair and slowly let go of her.

With that she turned around and walked away into the night. All Josie could do was stare after her until Lizzie brought her back to reality.

“Josie are you done gawking after your crush?”, she asked annoyed.

“I don't have a crush on her and why are you being so grumpy? Who called you and put you in a sour mood?”, the brunette changed the subject.

“Rafael. He wants me to come to his room, but he is drunk and I just want to go to bed.”, Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“And he was being difficult about it?”, Josie guessed.

“Difficult is a polite way to put it. But to be honest I don't want to talk about it anymore. I had fun tonight, against all my previous expectations, and I don't want this one incident to ruin the night.”, the blonde sighed and shook her head to get rid of her thoughts about her boyfriend.

“Yeah, you and MG seemed to get along quite well. Are we getting a new addition to our squad?”

“Oh no, I made him promise to never mention that I watched a movie with him. He understood. But you're right he was funny and actually told me really interesting backstories of the characters.”, Lizzie smiled.

Of course her twin sister would make MG promise to not mention this night. He wasn't popular and Josie knew all to well that neither her nor her sister would ever branch out and risk their reputation. But after her talk with Penelope it kind of made her a little sad to think about how they were limiting themselves to certain people. MG seemed like a genuinely nice guy who could become a really good friend. Their lifestyle really did deprive them of the opportunity to find true connections. But it was what they had chosen.

When Lizzie looked at her twin she mischievously grinned. “To be honest I'm surprised you even noticed that I was talking with MG. You seemed completely enamored with a certain raven haired barista.”

“I don't have a crush on her Lizzie.”, Josie groaned.

“Right and I am a witch.”, her sister laughed, but dropped it, deciding to talk about the upcoming papers they had to do for school.

 

Penelope enjoyed walking home on her own. During the night she felt like she could really let her mind wander. The darkness that was broken only by the moon, the stars and the streetlights made her feel comfortable. She took in deeper, more even breaths. Josie had been so vulnerable tonight and the more she got to know her the more she felt drawn to the brunette.

Back at her apartment she made her way into the bedroom and sat down at her desk. She had changed into more comfortable cloths and was currently tapping a pen against the paper in front of her. Her mind was buzzing with words and phrases that her heart were pumping through her veins.

Giving into the rush she started scribbling.

You uphold this perfectly crafted facade  
That disguises what is truly in your heart  
With the purpose of appearing perfect  
Not daring to let the walls crack  
But the beauty that you have inside  
Outshines by far the disguise behind which you hide

Letting go of the breath Penelope didn't know she was holding she layed the pen down. For the second time Josie had inspired her to write. And not just about her thoughts about the world and society. No, once again it had been about the brunette herself.

Sighing the raven haired girl went over to her bead and let herself fall onto it. When she closed her eyes she was back at MG's place, holding Josie's hand and looking into her brown eyes. As if electricity had been flowing through her veins she had been hyperaware of every single detail about the taller girl. Penelope remembered the way the screen had illuminated Josie's skin and how the chocolate brown orbs had conveyed so much depth that she felt like she would be content to stare into them forever. The girl before her had been nothing like the girl she first met.

Opening her eyes the raven haired girl grabbed her phone. Hesitating only for the briefest moment she typed a message to Josie: “I hope you got home safe. Good night. - P”

Just as she pressed the send button a message from another chat popped up and Penelope's heart dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who are we rooting for to get Lizzie? Rafael or MG?  
> And what did you think of Posie in this one and the message at the end?


	8. Chapter 8

Of course something like this would come up right when she was in a good place. Penelope threw her phone into her pillow and started pacing up and down her room. She was coming up with all kinds of excuses to not have to do what her parents wanted her to do. Moving away had been a great getaway from the life she used to lead. But apparently it hadn't been far enough.

Glancing back at her phone the message was laughing menacingly at her: “Ivy is coming to town and you are expected to attend a gala together. It is not up for discussion.”

There was no greeting or expression of endearment. Just clear instructions on where she was supposed to be and with whom. The raven haired girl hadn't expected more, however every time she was reminded of just how distant her parents were it hurt. She should have been accustomed to it by now, but somehow she still wasn't. They were her parents after all and even though most of the parents she knew weren't much better than her own, Penelope couldn't help but think about how they should be. TV series and movies often displayed caring and loving parents. Every time she saw such parental affection on the screen it was like the images were taunting her for not having that. It was stupid and jealously was never an emotion she felt, but Penelope craved to know what parents like that would make her feel like.

She received another message from her parents with further details. Since they couldn't attend the gala themselves they had decided on sending their daughter in their place. It was a gathering for schmoozing and making new important connections. Basically Penelope was forced to do everything she hated about her old life. Everything about those get-togethers was fake. No one cared about the others. Everyone just used their connections to get a gain for themselves. Throwing people under the bus when they were no longer of use was something normal. This life was all about money and power. And because everyone knew that, backstabbing was tolerated. It was part of the package.

Being forced to go to the gala was bad enough, but her parents had texted her that she would have to attend with Ivy. Her ex-girlfriend. It wasn't like she hated the girl. Their break up had been mutual and seeing her at school had been okay. The bad part was that her parents, as well as Ivy at one point after the end of their relationship, had wanted them to get back together. Penelope's father had pointed out that it would be a good business decision. Ivy's parents owned several huge companies and them being together would have been beneficial in the long run.

But the raven haired girl had told them that she wasn't going to be with someone just because it would be good for business. If she were to get into another relationship it was going to be because she had serious feelings for them.

It had been a disappointment for her parents to hear that, but they had accepted it. Probably because they thought that Penelope would come to her 'senses' with time. She hadn't. The barista had rebelled even more. Now she had finally managed to move away, had gotten a job and had told her parents that she was not going to be a part of their world anymore.

So much for the last part.

The sound of a closing door brought her train of thoughts to an end. Landon was back and not a moment to early.

Penelope stopped her pacing and ran into the main area of her apartment. Her best friend was stupidly grinning to himself and didn't even see her come in.

“Landon!”

Alarmed his head snapped up. “What? Did something happen?”, he asked with concern in his voice.

Nodding Penelope handed him her phone so he could read it for himself. She didn't talk. Just waited for her best friend to finish reading.

With wide eyes Landon looked back up at her. “I thought you told your parents that you were done with all of this? Didn't they agree to leave you alone for a year?”

“Yeah. But we both know that they don't really care about my feelings. They need me to attend this gala so I will attend this gala. I just don't understand why I have to go with Ivy.”, Penelope mumbled.

“Maybe a ploy to get you guys back together? They always wanted you two to be a couple after all.”, Landon thought out loud.

“I know, but this is completely out of the blue. I haven't seen Ivy since graduation and apart from a couple of texts at the beginning, which I have never replied to, she hasn't reached out to me.”, the raven haired girl said.

“Well we both know that Ivy has probably already agreed to this. She wants you back P. So the questions is what are you going to do?”

Sighing Penelope ran her fingers through her dark hair. This was just too much to handle right now. The night had been amazing. Josie had been amazing. This whole fiasco was ruining her entire day and surely the days to come.

“I honestly don't know. I mean I have to go. Otherwise my parents will cut me off and even though we both have a job, it won't be enough to pay rent and for all the other necessities. I need their financial support. At least until I'm twenty-one and have sole access to my trust fund. I just don't want to see Ivy again.”, Penelope explained.

“Well she is going to be at the gala. There is presumably no way you can avoid her.”, Landon reminded her of the obvious.

“Urgh.”, the raven haired girl groaned, “Why can't her parents attend? Is everyone too busy running their businesses? And if that's the case, why not re-schedule the entire thing? It's not like the thing is super important, otherwise no one would send their kid in their place!”

“P, calm down. You can't change it now. All you can do is try to minimize your interactions with her.”

Before Penelope could answer her phone rang.

“Speaking of the devil.”, she sighed and answered the call, “Ivy. What can I do for you?”

“That's no way of greeting a former flame.”, Ivy answered with a sickening sweet voice.

“I don't have time for this. What do you want?”, the raven haired girl ignored her ex's attempts of small talk.

“Okay be like that. I just wanted to call and make sure that you know that I'll be arriving tomorrow morning with your dress.”

“What do you mean?”, Penelope asked horrified.

“I'll be staying with you for an entire day and a night so that we can travel to the gala together. I thought your parents informed you of that.”, Ivy replied with feigned innocence.

“Great. That's just great.”, Penelope gritted through her teeth.

“I'm glad you think so too. I'll be there at nine.”, the girl said and hung up.

“She's going to stay with us?”, Landon wanted to make sure he understood correctly.

“That's right. Plus she's arriving at nine, which means that you'll have to cover for me while I let my ex into our apartment.”, the barista hissed pissed off.

Her life had just turned into a nightmare from which she couldn't wake up. She was going to be back in the toxic world of the rich and powerful and her annoying ex who was trying to get back with her was going to stay with her. Life couldn't get worse at this moment.

But not even after a minute of thinking that Penelope's phone went off again: “We did. Hopefully you did too and it's you texting me and not your kidnapper. Sleep well. -Josie.”

“Great. I absolutely love my life!”, she shouted. Ivy and Josie were most likely going to meet and Penelope for one was not looking forward to that interaction. It was bound to end up in a disaster.

 

Josie woke up with a smile on her face. She wasn't usually a morning person, but today was different. Penelope had been super sweet last night and had even texted her. It made her chest swell with happiness and she felt like nothing could bring her down.

The brunette swung her legs out of her bed and got dressed. It was sunny so she opted for a simple black skirt with a red crop top. She put on a golden necklace and used the curling iron so her hair could cascade down in perfect waves.

It was around nine and all Josie could think of was going to the coffee shop to see Penelope. But she didn't want to seem too eager, not that the raven haired barista would know that she had wanted to see her as soon as she had woken up, but still. So the brunette settled for working on her paper. 

The room was quiet since Hope was at a lecture and Lizzie was god knows where. Focusing was hard. Every now and then familiar eyes or the memory of a touch flashed through her mind and distracted her. Penelope was all the college girl could think of.

After half an hour of trying to get stuff done and failing miserably, Josie got up and left the dorm. Maybe seeing the barista would stop her day dreaming. Maybe she just had to get it out of her system.

With a light skip in her step the brunette made her way across campus and to the coffee shop where the raven haired girl worked at. The sun was lighting up the entire space and every color seemed even more radiant than usual.

She scanned the area, but Landon was the only one she could find. With a furrowed eye brow she walked over to Penelope's best friend.

“Hey. Have you seen Penelope?”, she asked him sweetly.

When he looked up his grey eyes went wide. His mouth opened several times, but no words came out. His behavior started to worry the brunette. Josie felt like Landon knew the answer to her question, but was sure that she wouldn't like it. Dread started to spread through her body. Was Penelope on a date? And why was that thought so painful for her? Even if she were on a date, it wouldn't mean that Josie had no chance at all with the barista. All it would mean was that it would be harder.

Just as her mind was about to go into overdrive, Penelope's surprised and shocked voice from a couple of steps behind her brought her back into reality: “Josie? What are you doing here?”

The sound of her voice was enough for the brunette to know that she wouldn't like what she was going to see once she turned around. Still she had to in order to reply.

Josie turned around slowly. Despite her bad feeling she wasn't prepared for what she saw once she was facing Penelope. The barista was standing next to a gorgeous girl. She had full dark brown hair, caramel skin, perfectly white teeth and dark brown eyes. The girl, wearing only designer cloths, could easily pass as a high paid model.

“I'm here for the coffee. As usual.”, she replied, cringing internally at her dumb answer, “Who's that?”

Flashing her a bright smile the girl stepped forward. “Ivy Perrin and who exactly are you?”

The way she had pronounced her surname it was clear that she had roots in France. Everything about her was posh and for the first time Josie felt like if Ivy and her were to go to the same college, Ivy would be the Queen Bee.

“Josie Saltzman.”, she replied, feeling rather small in comparison to the other girl. She honestly felt like running away.

“Ivy will be staying with me for a night.”, Penelope informed her. The raven haired barista was wringing her hands and tried to look anywhere but Josie.

“How do you two know each other?”, Josie asked the question which answer she was dreading.

“I'm her ex-girlfriend. Any by the looks of it I came just in time to save her from a wanna-be Queen Bee. Seriously Penelope, you can do so much better than her.”, Ivy said with a derogatory raised eye brow. She was looking down at her.

That realization jump started Josie's inner bitch. She was running this college, so who the hell did this Ivy girl think she was?

“Listen honey. As far as I'm concerned there is still an ex before girlfriend, so how about you get off my back. This isn't you town, it's mine, you better show me some respect or you'll be having a hard time during your stay here.”, she conceitedly said.

“It's cute that you think that. But let's be real for a second. You're just a cheap knock-off who tries so hard to be like the person that I already am.”, Ivy retorted and stepped closer to Josie, glaring daggers at her.

 

This had escalated way too quickly. Penelope was too stunned at the face off that was happening between the two brunettes to say anything at first. But the way Ivy was talking to Josie didn't sit right with her.

“Ivy, that's enough! Let me remind you that you're only staying with me because my parents have ordered it.”, she coldly put her in place.

Anger was flashing in her dark eyes, but her ex refrained from further insulting the college girl.

Penelope looked at Josie and her eyes softened. She could see that the brunette was acting tough, but the small flicker of pain exposed her true feelings. It hurt the barista that the first thing her ex had done was insult Josie. The girl didn't deserve that. She had been acting so different lately and Penelope had to admit that she enjoyed the presence of the brunette.

“Landon.”, Penelope said and he understood.

“Let's talk.”, the raven haired girl mumbled to Josie and intertwined their fingers, pulling the taller girl to the staff room again.

Inside the brunette slumped against a wall and closed her eyes for a moment. Ivy's words had rattled her and the more Penelope thought about it the clearer it got to her why. Josie tried so hard to be the girl she had always wanted to be. To be confronted with someone who oozed of confidence, power and wealth must have been intimidating. Ivy had been born into a world all Queen Bees wanted to be part of. Her ex-girlfriend was the perfect embodiment of everything Josie had always wanted to be.

Sighing she took the brunette's delicate hands into hers. Running her thumps soothingly over her knuckles. Josie smiled sadly at the gesture.

“I'm glad you're not like her you know.”, Penelope whispered, looking at the ground.

“But she's perfect.”, Josie claimed, hurt lacing her voice.

“Oh she's far away from perfect. Sure she is rich, has powerful connections, looks gorgeous and demands attention just by existing.”, the barista started.

“Sounds pretty perfect to me. Are you getting back together with her?”, Josie interrupted her bitterly.

“Jesus, just listen to me.”, Penelope exclaimed with a sigh and softly lifted Josie's chin so she could meet her gaze, “But all of that means absolutely nothing. The world Ivy and I come from is superficial and fake. Ivy might appear like a dream come true, but she's shallow and just like a dream of no substance. You on the other hand are beautiful inside and out. I would choose you over someone like her any day. Don't let her get to you.”

Adoration filled Josie's chocolate brown eyes and made Penelope's heart beat faster. They were so close right now and the raven haired girl was unable to move away. Josie let go of one of her hands and tugged a strand of Penelope's dark hair behind her ear. But instead of intertwining their hands again the brunette started to caress the baristas cheek, sending shivers down the shorter girl's spine.

The atmosphere between them was charged and Penelope had to bite down on her lip when Josie's fingers sneaked around the back of her neck and pulled her just a little bit closer.

Her breath hitched and she was painfully aware that her face was only inches away from Josie's. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest and it seemed like the room had gotten hotter by several degrees. Penelope felt dizzy and couldn't form a single coherent thought anymore. She swallowed, let go of the girl's other hand and put hers next to Josie's head against the wall for support.

The brunette was looking intently into her eyes. Her pupils were dilated and her gaze fell down to the barista's lips.

Penelope needed Josie to be closer to her. With her other hand she took a hold of the brunette's waist, moving forward so her body was flush against Josie's. She had her pinned against the wall now and could feel her racing heart against her own chest.

But before anything could happen Ivy was barging through the door, making Penelope jump away from Josie in shock.

“Penelope what the hell is taking so long?”, her ex questioned annoyed, “You know that Landon and I never got along, so could we please just go to your apartment?”

Apparently the barista had moved away fast enough so that Ivy didn't even know that she had interrupted them at a very inconvenient moment.

Josie was still leaning against the wall, obviously trying hard to get her breathing under control again, while Penelope was nervously running her fingers through her hair. She couldn't believe that she had almost kissed the brunette and her ex-girlfriend of all people had been the one to walk in on them. Having several drinks sounded like an amazing idea right now, because her nerves were raw.

“You do realize that I have to work right?”, Penelope asked her ex. Her voice was huskier than usual and she quickly glanced at Josie who was biting her plump lip. It drove the raven haired girl crazy that she had been so close to kissing those lips. But at the same time she couldn’t wrap her mind around how intense their moment had been and that she had actually WANTED to kiss the brunette.

“Can't you just skip? You're super rich after all.”, Ivy deadpanned with a bored expression on her face. It was like the brunette was irritated that they were even having this conversation.

“Wait you're super rich?”, Josie piped in.

“Duh. I thought you two knew each other.”, the brunette said confused.

“It didn't come up.”, Penelope stated. She felt bad that Josie had to find out like this. But then again it wasn't like she had to come out as wealthy. It was surprising though that the brunette hadn't figured it out by now. Especially since the raven haired girl had talked about the world Ivy and her came from. But then again the two of them had gotten distracted.

“Well now that that's sorted out can we go P?”, Ivy got impatient.

“Sure. I'll get you back to my apartment and you can do whatever you it is you do all day until my shift ends.”, Penelope said and looked at Josie, “I'm sorry about all of this. Can I text you later?”

“Yeah.”, the brunette agreed.

 

Penelope gave her a weak smile and left the room with her ex. She could hear Ivy complaining about how she was feeling under appreciated and how much Penelope had changed.

Josie couldn't believe what had just happened. She had met the raven haired girl's ex-girlfriend, had gotten another small and sweet speech from Penelope and then they had almost kissed. The brunette could still feel the warmth radiating from the other girls body and how inviting her lips had looked.

“Fuck.”, she hissed.

Never had she felt something so intense. The urge to kiss Penelope had been so strong that the brunette still felt tingly inside. Josie couldn't fathom how affected her entire body had been and still was. She wanted the barista back in this room, alone with her, and hands roaming over undiscovered skin.

“Fuck!”, Josie repeated louder this time, shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of all her inappropriate thoughts.

This day had turned out to be nothing like anything she had expected it to be. Josie was a mess and in dire need of someone she could talk to. Crossing her fingers she hoped that either her twin sister or Hope would be back in their shared room when she came back. The brunette was feeling like she was going to explode form all the thoughts that were running through her mind and all the feelings that were creating chaos inside her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on Ivy and the Posie moment? I would love to hear your thoughts on how things will develop between the three of them


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back :) I just came back from a short vacation, so I'm sorry for not updating for so long.  
> Your feedback to the story has been so amazing and it makes me so happy! Because of all your comments I did alter the idea I originally had so I hope you enjoy this one

Josie made her way up the stairs to her room. Her heart was still slightly faster than it should be and her mind was racing. Replaying her moment with Penelope over and over again, only interrupted by the occasional shocking realization that the barista was actually wallowing in money.

When she burst through the door a pair of blue eyes were immediately on her. Looking up surprised from the textbooks that were scattered all over her bed.

“What happened?”, Hope asked concerned.

“Penelope.”, was all that the brunette could muster. Her voice was cracking under the weight of all her emotions.

“Talk to me.”, her best friend said and stood up to soothingly put her arms around her in a bone crushing hug.

Josie just hugged her back. The support and love emanating from Hope calmed her nerves and she took deeper breaths. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on what happened in the coffee shop.

Slowly the two brunettes separated and sat down on Hope's bed.

“Penelope's ex girlfriend is back in town. It's just one night, but she is gorgeous and she clearly wants Penelope back. I mean who wouldn't though? Everyone with eyes can see that she is beautiful and when you talk to her you just cannot help but fall for her. But she told me that she would choose me over Ivy, that's her name, any day. Honestly Hope how can one person be so incredibly sweet and considerate and just indescribable awesome? I swear my heart melted at that and then we almost kissed? Can you believe it? Penelope almost kissed me! But of course Ivy had to barge in and ruin the moment. And then I find out that Penelope is actually super rich! I have absolutely no clue on how to handle any of the information I just gave you.”

When Josie was done with ranting to her best friend she took another deep breath. Apparently she hadn't taken any during her re-cap of the previous events. Hope was looking at her with wide eyes, processing everything the brunette had just told her.

“You didn't know she was rich?”, Hope asked cautious, breaking the silence that had settled over them.

“That's the first thing you ask?”, Josie asked baffled.

“Well it was the easiest thing to start with.”, Hope defended herself, “And to be honest I'm a little bit surprised. I mean Landon and her never talk about it, but I thought you knew where they came from. I didn't find out until the party, because that was the first time I really talked to either of them. I just figured she would have told you after game night. But then again have you seen her clothes? They are EXPENSIVE!”

As soon as Hope mentioned her clothes the brunette thought back. Of course she had noticed Penelope's great outfits, but apparently she had been to distracted by how they looked on her to realize that they were actually all tailored designer cloths.

“Okay I admit I wasn't as focused on her brands as I was on her, but can we get to what's important now? Her ex girlfriend is back and she almost kissed me!”, Josie dismissed the newly acquired wealth information to get to the things that really concerned her.

“I honestly don't know what to say Josie.”, Hope admitted.

Frustration began to build up in the brunette's chest. She had hoped that either her best friend or her sister would be there to talk to her and here she was talking to Hope. But the girl was just as speechless as she was.

“I don't know what to do Hope. I don't even know why I'm acting the way I am. It's not like I'm crushing on Penelope so I can't be jealous. Nor do I have the right to be even if I were jealous. I just hate the thought of her spending time with that viper. Ivy is bad news and now they're going to this fancy gala rich people go to.”, Josie sighed.

Everything right now was confusing for her and she had no idea on how to approach any of her feelings that made no sense to her whatsoever.

“Josie.”, Hope got her attention and she met the understanding blue eyes, “Why can't you just look past everything you think you are allowed to feel and say what you really want to say?”

Anger welled up in Josie. Who was Hope to act like she knew the brunette better than she knew herself. But after a second her anger subsided and she let her best friend’s words hit her. After all they had known each other for their entire lives. Lizzie and Hope could always see past the pretense, even if she sometimes couldn't.

Furrowing her brow, Josie looked down at her hands that were fidgeting. Confronting feelings had never been one of her strong suits, but Hope was right. She had to deal with what was going on inside of her.

“I don't want Penelope to go to the gala with Ivy.”, she finally said, facing Hope again whose face had softened even more.

“Why is that?”

It was a rhetorical question. Josie knew that as much as Hope, but the brunette also knew that her best friend was trying to make it easier for her to say it.

“Because I want to be the one who accompanies her to events.”

“Because you like her.”

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A statement that uncomfortably twisted Josie's heart. She couldn't like her. Josie never fell for someone and it was supposed to stay that way so she could have full control.

So even though the brunette was aware that what she was saying wasn't necessarily the truth she did say it: “No. I don't like like her. I just don't want her stupid ex girlfriend to be her plus one.”

Hope shook her head: “So we're not going to talk about how the almost kiss made you feel?”

“No we're not. There is nothing to talk about.”, Josie shut her down. Of course she had wanted to talk, but the reality of that talk hadn't been clear to her before. Now that Hope was asking questions and insinuated things she didn't want to hear, she just wanted to leave and go to her place on the roof top. She just wanted to run away.

Abruptly the brunette stood up and headed towards the door, but Hope's voice stopped her: “Alrighty. We'll do it your way. What is it you want me to help you with?”

 

Penelope was back at the coffee shop. Dropping off Ivy at Landon's and her apartment had been as difficult as she had imagined. Her ex just couldn't leave it be and had tried to convince her to skip work and go out for brunch instead. Of course the raven haired girl had been adamant and hadn't been talked into doing that.

Her shift was going by slowly since there weren't that many customers in right now. Most of the students had classes at this time of the day and the few that were sitting at the tables were engulfed in their work, ordering only once every couple of hours to get that caffeine fix to continue studying.

The barista's mind had drifted to Josie every once in a while. Their almost kiss still lingered in the back of her mind and got her heart racing every time she thought of it. Penelope couldn't believe that she had such an intense moment with the brunette. For weeks she had been so dismissive only then to be actually interested in the story behind the poplar girl. And now she had been too close to actually kissing her. A simple moment of confusion for sure. After all Ivy was back in her life and had been rude to her friend. Too many things had happened in a too short period of time. Of course she had had a lapse of judgement and considered locking lips with the beautiful college girl.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by Hope entering the coffee shop. She was as usual dressed pretty casual, but that didn't hide her beauty. It was clear to see why Landon was so infatuated by her. The brunette was a wonderful person all around.

“Hey Penelope.”, Hope greeted her with a wide smile.

“Hope. It's nice too see you. Are you done with classes for today or are you just enjoying your break in this great establishment?”, the barista smiled back at her friend.

“Just taking a break. Do you know where Landon is?”, she asked her still smiling.

There was something about her smile that made Penelope frown a little bit. She took pride in being able to read people easily and Hope was sending her weird vibes right now. The smile seemed to be forcefully prolonged. It was almost like it was supposed to cover up another emotion.

“He's in the back.”, she answered quickly, reminding herself that her hunch could be nothing.

“Thanks.”, the brunette said and disappeared to find the guy.

Penelope tried her best to focus on her work. If there was something up she knew she could get it out of her best friend. But that didn't help her racing mind. It was always like that whenever she sensed that someone was hiding something from her. The raven haired girl thought back to their short conversation and tried to analyze it.

“Oh no.”, Penelope murmured when realization hit her.

Hope was Josie's best friend so it was only natural that she knew about what had happened earlier. And knowing Hope the girl had probably agreed to help her best friend out. Penelope didn't have to be a genius to know what the two girls had come up with. Especially with Hope looking for Landon.

Her first instinct was to just barge in the back room and yell about the idea being terrible. However the barista knew that she couldn't just do that. Especially since there was a possibility, no matter how slight, that she had come to a wrong assumption.

Penelope's suffering was thankfully only short. After about ten minutes Landon and Hope walked back towards her.

The guilty look on her best friend's face immediately told her that she was right. Before Penelope could say anything though, Hope said goodbye and walked out of the door of the cozy coffee shop.

“Landon please tell me I'm wrong and you didn't just make a huge mistake.”, the raven haired girl said, facing her best friend with an accusing expression on her face.

“You didn't even have to eavesdrop did you?”, he sighed defeated.

“No. So tell me exactly what you just promised her.”, Penelope demanded, ready to fix any damage already done.

“Hope asked me about going to the gala and taking Josie as my plus one.”, Landon started, but was promptly interrupted by the barista.

“To which you surely said no right?”

“Yeah. But then Hope started reasoning with me and brought up some really convincing arguments and I ended up giving her the number of one of my friends who will work at the hotel...”

With wide eyes Penelope stared at her best friend. After her shock she whisper-yelled: “Are you completely out of your mind? That is even worse than going with you!”

“P I'm sorry, but honestly I'm all for Josie going to the gala. I would even be more enthusiastic if she could go with you instead of Ivy.”, Landon defended himself.

“I would love to not have to go with Ivy, but Josie can't go to the gala! You know why!”, this time Penelope actually shouted, forgetting all about the customers in the coffee shop. She couldn't believe that Landon was being so stubborn. He knew very well that the world they came form wasn't keen on having new people intrude.

Shaking her head the raven haired girl pushed past her best friend and started to run after Hope. She had to catch her before the damage was irreversible.

The brunette had gotten further than Penelope had expected. Nevertheless she managed to reach her before she could reunite with the cheerleader.

“Hope!”

Surprised the girl turned around, only to face an angry and slightly out of breath Penelope.

“He told you?”

There was no surprise in her voice. Hope was wincing in anticipation of being yelled at. She clearly knew that the raven haired girl would be everything but amused with their plan.

“Landon didn't have to. I know what happened today so it's not really a surprise that you showed up and wanted to talk to him in private.”

“Look Penelope, I know that you probably think that it's a bad idea.”, Hope began, but Penelope was quick to interrupt.

“Let me stop you right there. I don't just think that it's a bad idea, I know that it's a bad idea. You guys have absolutely no clue what you are getting Josie into.”, her voice was filled with anger, but softened as she continued, “It's not like I don't want to spend time with Josie. I don't dislike her anymore and I think she's actually a really nice person, but this is a gala with the countries wealthiest and most influential people. Even if she were to sneak into the event, which I don't doubt with Landon's contacts, she would stick out like a sore thumb. Josie could put on her best dress and she would still look so miserably out of place. She can't go to the gala Hope. It would hurt her more than please her.”

Hope was silent after that. Penelope could see that she was contemplating everything she had said.

“Are you sure?”, the girl whispered, eyes now on the ground.

“Yes. They always say that it's a different world and they are right. Rich people can be so mean to those who don't belong to them. She can't go through with this. Especially not because she's jealous.”, the raven haired girl pressed.

“Apparently she's not jealous.”, Hope smirked, deflecting from the real issue.

“Frankly I don't care. What I care about is her not attending.”, Penelope rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“It's Josie. She won't listen. Hell she isn't even listening to simply things I try to tell her.”, Hope sighed exhausted.

“Then tell her that Landon couldn't help.”, she offered a solution.

“Too late. I just got off the phone with her and already forwarded her the contact he gave me.”

“Great.”, Penelope threw her hands in the air. This day had been the shittiest day in a long time for her and it wasn't even in the afternoon, “Then you'll have to tie her to the bed or something so she can't leave.”

Hope smirked and chuckled: “I'll leave the tying up games to you.”

Penelope was dumbfounded for a second. She couldn't believe that Hope was joking around when this was such a serious matter. Especially using her moment with Josie this morning as ammunition.

“Hope! This isn't funny!”

“Right. Sorry.”, the brunette apologized, but the sparkle in her eyes was a clear indication that she still found it amusing, “But Penelope I'm being honest when I tell you that I won't be able to stop Josie. That girl is as stubborn as one can be.”

Closing her eyes, Penelope took a deep breath. She needed to collect her thoughts and think of a way to avert a catastrophe.

“Fine. Come with me and when you return to your room and go see Josie do me a favor.”

 

Josie was laying on her bed, listening to music and daydreaming about stealing Penelope away from Ivy. She imagined Ivy's face to be so priceless. The gala would be so amazing and she could spend even more time with the beautiful raven haired girl.

Bursting her bubble of the fairytale scenarios Hope entered the room.

Looking up and pausing her music Josie commented: “You've been gone for forever. Did Landon and you spend some quality time?”

Rolling her eyes the brunette shook her head and put a fancy looking box on her bed.

“No. I actually spent the past couple of hours with Penelope.”

“What? I thought she had to work.”, Josie was confused and pouted. The thought that the barista had spent the last couple of hours ditching work for Hope didn't sit right with her. Penelope could have left work with her even before that.

“Oh she did, but she found out about the little stunt you wanted to pull.”, her best friend revealed and started pacing around their shared room.

“And she wanted you to talk me out of it right? I hope you told her that I won't change my mind. Ivy needs to mind her own business. I'll be way better company and we'll have some time to get to know each other more.”, Josie stubbornly expressed her thoughts.

“I told her that.”, Hope reassured her and motioned to the box laying on her bed and added, “You should open it. Read the note as well.”

Curious Josie got up and took the cover off the container. What was laying in front of her took her breath away. Before her was a beautiful evening gown. It was long and had no sleeves. The red velvet top had a plunging neckline, a cut-out on the back, a red velvet strap that only visually separated the top from the bottom design. The dress from the waist to the feet was in three different colors. Each complementing the following one. It went from a fuchsia pink to a red velvet-ish to a beautiful coral color. It somehow reminded her of a sunset.

“This is stunning.”, the brunette whispered in awe.

“It is.”, Hope softly agreed, “As it should be for ten thousand dollars.”

Josie whipped her head around. “Excuse me what?!”

“Read the note Jo.”

Still utterly shocked by the price of the dress, she reached for the small piece of paper laying in the box.

“Please don't attend the gala. I know you imagine your idea to be glamorous, pun intended, but reality has the tendency to disappoint. Showing up would only hurt you, so please listen to me and don't. But in case that you're too stubborn to listen I got you this dress. It's yours either way. - Penelope.”

Speechless Josie turned to Hope again. She couldn't believe that Penelope had gone through the trouble of getting and gifting her an insanely expensive dress with the plea of her not attending the gala.

“Josie listen. Penelope seemed really worried about this plan of yours. I really think that you should listen to her.”

“I can handle myself Hope. You know that people like me and I always find a way to fit in and make it to the top. You're all underestimating me.”, the brunette argued.

“I think you're underestimating the situation.”, her best friend sighed in defeat.

 

When Penelope woke up she groaned. Today was the day of the gala and she couldn't be less stoked about it. Not only had she to attend, but Ivy would be there with her and there was a possibility of Josie ignoring all the warnings and coming too.

She couldn't believe that it all turned out like this. A couple of weeks ago she would not have only laughed at the fact that Josie and her got along now, but also at the image of her at an event with both her ex and the brunette. This was all too much.

Her door swung open and Ivy sauntered inside. The audacity and the lack of manners of the girl frustrated the raven haired girl to no end. For someone who was raised in their world the gorgeous girl surely didn't know how to behave sometimes.

“What do you want Ivy?”, Penelope sighed exhausted and pulled the covers over her face to hide from what was to come a little bit longer.

“Good morning to you too beautiful. If I may remind you we have this event coming up and we need to get going. The car will be here in an hour and you need to pack your stuff so we have enough time to get dressed once we arrive at the venue.”, her ex said and pulled the covers from Penelope's body, the sudden cold air startling her.

“How could I forget this dreadful thing Ivy.”, the barista muttered under her breath and got up, saying louder: “Would you be so kind to leave my room so I can get ready?”

“Whatever love.”, Ivy rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her.

Slightly pissed off Penelope gathered all her things and neatly tucked them away in her small suitcase. Her dress for the event was protected by a case especially designed for it so it wouldn't get crinkles.

The entire ride in the sleek black limousine as well as their reception once they got to the hotel that had the honor of hosting was like a flash from the past. Penelope hadn't missed any of it. Her current life was such a better fit for her than this champagne bubble filled one.

Ivy and her had been led to a private dressing room. Since they were officially attending together the hotel had it seen fit for them to share a room. It was huge even though there was absolutely no need for all the space. There were a few couches as well as a separated bathroom, which was huge on it's on, a tv and a small bar.

Before the clerk left Ivy beckoned him to come back with a swift motion of her hand.

“What can I assist you with Ma'am.”, he politely asked.

“I changed my mind about the champagne on the way here. I actually do prefer my usual.”, she said and dismissed him by simply sitting down on one of the cream leather couches.

The clerk hurried out and silently closed the door behind him. Penelope really didn't want to be in his shoes. Ivy's 'usual' as she had called it was actually rare and had to be ordered in advance. The raven haired girl hoped, for the entire hotel's sake, that they had stored some bottles away somewhere in case that the only heiress to the Perrin empire felt like having her 'usual'.

“Did you really have to do that?”, Penelope asked as she walked over to fix herself a drink. She settled for a vodka tonic. The vodka the hotel provided them with was top shelf and the slight bitterness of the tonic water was exactly what the girl needed right now.

“No, but I wanted to test out how good their service is. After all I don't want to stay at a place where the employees don't go the extra mile to see that all of my needs are satisfied.”, her ex girlfriend shrugged her comment off, completely unbothered.

Time couldn't pas fast enough.

 

After what felt like ages Penelope did the final touches on her outfit. She was wearing a long black evening dress with an appropriately long front slit. It had structured shoulders and long sleeves, which were sheer just like the top third of the upper body garment. The sheer tulle was covered in beautiful rhinestones that added an additional touch to the entire appearance.

With perfectly done make up and hair, done by a professional of course, she entered the main area of their room. Ivy was already done and looked her up and down with an appreciate spark in her dark brown eyes.

“I almost forgot how gorgeous you dress up. With all that barista outfit you had going on yesterday you know.”, her ex commented, sending her a flirtatious smile.

“I don't have to tell you that you look as gorgeous as ever do I?”, Penelope rolled her eyes. Ivy's never ending flirting started to become unbearable. It kind of reminded her of how Josie had tried to get her attention. It never worked. The college girl knew that by now, Ivy who has known her since childhood still seemed to be oblivious to that fact.

But Ivy was indeed dazzling. Her dressed complimented her figure and the emerald green looked great on her.

“No you don't, but I would still love to receive any compliment coming from you love.”, the brunette winked at her and looped her arm through Penelope's.

 

They were already over an hour into the gala, music coming from one of the world's finest orchestras, when Penelope started to believe that the brunette had listened to her.

But then it happened. Despite the classical music never pausing the atmosphere in the hall changed. The raven haired girl would describe it as silent, but there was too much mumbling and anxiousness filling the air to fit into that category by definition.

Penelope slowly turned around to face the entrance, dread filling her chest. However as soon as her eyes landed on Josie all of that dread evaporated. The tall brunette looked stunning in the dress. It fitted her perfectly and she seemed to glow. Josie was breathtaking and all Penelope could do was stare. She wasn't angry at the girl, nor was she worried about what was inevitable. All the could feel in that moment was the tingling sensation that was caused by the brunette's sight.

“Wow. I knew she was stupid, but I never considered her to be this dumb.”, Ivy laughed and brought her back out of her trance like state, “She doesn't belong here.”

“I don't want to hear your comments Ivy.”, Penelope hissed annoyed as she made her way towards Josie. Aware that every attendee was curiously and depreciatingly watching the interaction. Her parents were going to kill her for this if she didn't find a way to somehow salvage the situation.

 

Josie felt uncomfortable with all the judging eyes on her. Regret started to rob her of her oxygen and she was on the verge of running back out of the doors she just came in.

Before she embarrassed herself further though her eyes found Penelope's. A storm of different emotions flashed through her orbs as she approached her. The raven haired girl was absolutely beautiful. It would have taken her breath away if it weren't for the already existing lack of oxygen in her lungs.

“Josie.”, Penelope breathed as she swiftly placed her left hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer to whisper in her ear: “You shouldn't be here... But for what it's worth, you look radiating.”

The closeness of the other girl immediately calmed her nerves, her heart only skipping a beat when she received the compliment.

“Can't go back now though.”, she answered, suppressing a stutter that would have betrayed her nervousness.

“No, we can't.”, the raven haired girl chuckled and distanced herself to send her a reassuring smile.

“You're being quite chivalrous for someone who could say I told you so.”, Josie stated, looking down to the floor in embarrassment.

“Keep your head help up high.”, Penelope said softly as she lifted her chin with her delicate fingers, “They can smell fear, so don't give them any more reasons to beat you down.”

“Thank you.”, the taller girl breathed and looped her arm through the barista's. Holding onto her gave her a sense of security for which she was in dire need of.

Penelope escorted her towards the bar that was located on the left side of the enormous hall. The chandeliers illuminated the area in a pleasant warm light. Groups of dressed up people were scattered all over the venue and the space close to the beautifully playing orchestra was used for pairs to dance. She had never been to anything like this. It was like out of a movie. The only difference being that it had a more uptight and judging vibe to it. Movies liked to portray it as fun and open, but it wasn't. The raven haired girl wasn't kidding when she used to word 'world'. This was different than what the average person got to experience. Everything was screaming expensive. The brunette felt foreign and out of place.

“Playing dress up are we?”, Ivy sauntered over, “Honey you can't hide the fact that this dress you're wearing costs more than everything you had until this point combined.”

“Stop it.”, Penelope came to her rescue. It still surprised to brunette that she was saving her any chance she got. The barista could have left her standing in the entrance on her own, deny the fact that she knew her. However Penelope had immediately made her way towards her and had restored a fraction of her confidence again. Everything about her right now was gallant.

“What? Let's not pretend that I'm going to be the only one to comment on that fact.”, the heiress scoffed displeased.

Just as if she had taken it as a cue, a woman in her mid fifties approached them, completely ignoring Josie she greeted the raven haired girl: “Penelope my dear, I haven't seen you in ages.”

“Anne, it's so good to see you. I hear you're doing especially great these days.”, the girl next to her greeted the woman, a wide fake smile plastered on her face.

“I am, thank you. You're out exploring right now aren't you?”, Anne asked, emphasizing the word 'exploring' a little bit too much for Josie's taste.

“You know me. I always liked to go a different path than everyone else.”

“Your parents are so understanding, it sometimes baffles me.”, the woman chuckled humorless. Josie wanted to smack the woman for being so utterly judgmental. She had no right to so dismissive of Penelope.

“Well I guess it's due to our security. We're Parks after all.”, Penelope replied easily. There was no venom in her tone, but the way she said it it sounded almost like a threat. The power and confidence the raven haired girl was radiating right now made Josie's knees go weak. Penelope was not just beautiful, she was simply put hot.

That seemed to shut Anne up. She gave Penelope one last fake smile and continued to make her rounds.

Apologetic the raven haired girl turned to Josie. Despite being next to her, the taller girl felt utterly out of place. She would have felt invisible if it weren't for the derogatory looks people were sending her way.

“I'm sorry for not listening to you.”, the brunette mumbled, her chest tightening with regret. The level of uncomfortableness was getting too much.

“It's okay. I'll handle it as best as I can. But I did try to tell you. This isn't a fairytale. People always like to believe that it's going to be like a Disney movie. You sweep in like Cinderella and all eyes are on the mysterious new girl that outshines everyone else. But this is reality. Sure you might be the most beautiful one in the room, but all eyes are not on you because you look magnificent. They're watching you because they know that you're not one of them. Not part of our world.”

'Our world'. Penelope's use of words echoed in her mind.

“Never heard of immigrants?”, she weakly argued.

“You know how they can be treated. It's not right, but sadly it the reality we live in.”

“Yeah. I should leave...”, Josie replied only slightly above a whisper.

“Hell no. It would be worse if you did. Maybe not for you, but for me. You're stuck with me now.”, Penelope chuckled, “Why not make the most of it?”

The way the raven haired girl carried herself amazed Josie. She had every right to be pissed, but here she was playing her knight in shining armor. Clearly the barista could snap at her later, however the brunette felt like she wouldn't. Penelope so openly showed her that she cared about her and her comfort. Her eyes displayed so much openness and honesty that it warmed the taller girl's heart.

“I'll follow your lead.”, Josie smiled her first real smile since entering Penelope Park's world.

Smiling widely Penelope took two glasses of champagne and handed her one. Clinking their glasses Josie took a sip and almost gasped. It tasted nothing like the champagne she had had so far in her life. Even the more expensive one her parents had gotten when Hope, Lizzie and her had graduated was nothing compared to what she was holing in her hand. The taste was so pleasant and the bubbles went down so easily. They weren't as fizzy as the ones she usually had.

“You're adorable.”, Penelope smirked, a fond look on her face.

The way she was looking at her made Josie blush. She felt special by the wonder displayed in the other girl's eyes. Here she was drinking expensive champagne, surrounded by extremely influential people and fancy décor and all the raven haired girl seemed to find worth looking at in that moment was her. Josie wanted to kiss her right now, but she knew that this was neither the time nor the place to follow her desire.

Chuckling at the lack of response Penelope got from the college girl she added: “If I knew that calling you adorable would shut you up, I would have said that ages ago.”

Pouting Josie tried to give her a gently shove. Apparently the raven haired girl had seen that one coming so with an elegant motion she averted her body and took a hold of the brunette's hand. She intertwined them and put her other hand to her waist, making them settle in a dance position.

“If you wanted to dance you could have just said so.”, Penelope smirked, a teasing spark in her eyes.

Instead of answering Josie decided that two could play this game. She took control of their joined hands and spun Penelope around, putting the other girl's arm smoothly around the back of her neck, making them stand impossibly close to each other.

“If you wanted to be close to me, you could have just asked.”, she smiled sweetly, locking eyes with the other girl.

“Who knew that you had such moves.”, Penelope commented as much surprised as impressed.

“One of my many talents.”, Josie grinned proudly. To be honest she didn't even know that she had moves like that. She had just wanted to be the one to be smooth for a change. Penelope always knew how to make her feel special. The brunette felt like she had never succeeded in doing that. Her flirting had only gotten her dismissal by the darker haired girl.

Penelope just continued to stare into her eyes. Josie was met with awe and warmth that made a tingling feeling spread through her entire body. Never had anyone looked at her like that. She couldn't even describe the look, it was just something that seemed to electrify every cell of her.

“You're absolutely breathtaking Penelope.”, she whispered before her brain had the chance to catch up with the words that had rolled so easily and honest from her lips.

Penelope's breath visibly hitched in her throat and the little air separating them heated up. The raven haired girl was biting her lip as her eyes slowly dropped to Josie's lips. Involuntarily the brunette's free hand found it's way to the other girl's waist, inching her closer.

The tension was suddenly broken by Penelope's eyes snapping up to look over her shoulder and swiftly moving their bodies to the side. Josie registered through the veil of desire a splash accompanied by the shattering of glass.

Still a bit out of it she turned her head to the side. Ivy was standing there, face red with anger, and a broken champagne flute on the ground next to her.

“Waiter could you clean this up and maybe get this young lady a glass of water? She seems to have had a little bit too much or her 'usual'.”, Penelope addressed on of the employees, sending her ex girlfriend a sickening sweet smile.

Before Ivy could say anything Penelope turned to face the nearest group of conversing people.

“Richard, how is the family doing?”, she asked nonchalant, moving them away from Ivy who was fuming and shouting at the waiters to leave her alone.

“Penelope. I was so glad when I heard that you were attending. The family is doing well. But you know they would do even better if I could close a certain deal.”, the man in a tailored navy blue suit said.

“Well as far as I'm concerned there are still some small alterations to make.”

Chuckling Richards replied: “You truly are a Park. But then again you just displayed that with Miss Perrin. Never in my life have I met anyone as smooth as a Park.”

“Blessed by DNA I suppose. I really hope that everything works out perfectly. Tell your family we should all do a dinner party some time soon.”, Penelope smiled and gave her attention to one of the youngest people at the gala who was standing next to Richard.

The way she held herself amazed Josie. Penelope was oozing with confidence and always knew what to say. The brunette had know that the barista was great at talking, but this level of sophistication and ease still surprised her a bit. 

As time went by people actually started to acknowledge her as well. It seemed like the barista's talented approach of talking to people had made it's rounds and it was now considered suitable to include her into their conversations. It made Josie happy to feel like she was being more accepted by Penelope's people.

As the gala was coming to an end Josie had started to enjoy the evening. Penelope's charming behavior had given her more confidence. The happy smiles and nods of approval the raven haired girl had given her over the course of the event whenever she had talked to other attendees had elated Josie.

“I want to show you something.”, Penelope said as the first people were leaving the hall.

Josie's happy smile was answer enough. The raven haired girl took her hand and led her towards the elevator, giving the clerk a pointed look.

 

The elevator doors opened and revealed the roof top. There was a huge pool located at the edge of the area, illuminating the otherwise lightless space.

Josie looked stunned and Penelope smiled softly. The brunette had handled herself better tonight than she could have hoped for.

“Penelope this is beautiful.”, the taller girl breathed as they made their way towards the pool, leaving the clerk in the elevator that was going back down.

“I thought that you might like this. Every time I'm at an event like this I look for a place where I can be alone and enjoy the view. I probably have spend more time away than socializing and schmoozing with people.”, she admitted.

“I understand why.”, the brunette said and looked right into her eyes, “I'm sorry again if I caused you any trouble. I was wrong to assume that I could just waltz in and be a part of this.”

The apologetic face of the taller girl was cute and it made Penelope's heart melt a little.

“Don't worry about it. Sure my parents will most likely call me tomorrow morning and scold me for this. But I'm glad you did show up. Otherwise I would have had to spend more time with Ivy and if I'm being honest I probably wouldn't have talked to people as much as I have with you there.”

“Why is that?”, Josie scrunched her face in confusion.

“Because they were judging you. I wanted them to see you for who you are and not for what your income is or where you come from. I knew that if I played my Park charm they would eventually feel forced to give you a fracture of a chance. As far as I'm concerned you didn't do horrible and before you say anything, let me tell you that that is huge. My parents can't be furious with me about that. They will surely belittle you, don't get me wrong, but in the end you made a somewhat good impression and they'll label you as some charity work so they'll look good and generous. In touch with the common people.”

“You really had be feeling special until that charity case mention.”, Josie rolled her eyes.

“Hey,”, Penelope smirked, “If my parents call you that, it's like the biggest win. This world is about pretending and business. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“I like my world better.”, the brunette commented, a pout still on her delicate features.

Smiling fondly at Josie Penelope ran her fingers through the brunette's hair, eventually cupping her face.

“I like that world better as well. The people are just more real.”

“Are you saying that you like me.”

“Yeah that's what I'm saying you narcissist.”, the raven haired girl chuckled and let go of Josie's face in favor of extending a hand, “May I have this dance?”

The grin the brunette gave her lit up the roof top. Penelope couldn't help but feel drawn in by it. The careless and happy side of Josie was infatuating. All she wanted to do was make the taller girl smile like that every second of every day. Josie was able to make her feel ecstatic just by being around her. Penelope felt like she was on a high. Engulfed by warmth and ignited by the electric feeling inside her chest.

The two girls easily fell into a waltz, moving perfectly in synch with each other. The cool night air seemed distant due to the warmth radiating from their closely held bodies. Even the stars and the almost full moon that was shining was nothing compared to the sparks in Josie's chocolate brown eyes.

“I know I already said this before, but you are so beautiful.”, Penelope couldn't help but whisper, “And I don't just mean tonight, even though I did an amazing job with picking out this dress. You are intoxicating every time I see you.”

Josie stopped dead in her tracks. The raven haired girl only didn't collide with her because she had almost stopped dancing as well. Too overwhelmed by her emotions that were about to burst her heart.

The brunette's eyes darkened and Penelope could hear her take a sharp intake of breath. This sight of Josie made her wish that she had a wall or anything else for support. Her knees were weak and tentatively she let her fingertips ghost over Josie's skin, feeling the ever so slight shiver of the taller girl.

Josie was holding her breath and all Penelope could do was stare back into her eyes. Her body was developing a mind of it's own, taking one last step to close the distance separating the two. She could feel the heat coming off of the brunette's body and her cheeks reddened.

Penelope felt how Josie put a strand of hair behind her ear and continuing to run her fingers through her dark hair. Pulling on it slightly to tilt her head a bit upwards.

Her mind was blank and all she felt was the tension in the air and Josie's body flush against her own. The desire to kiss the brunette was slowly becoming all-consuming.

Just as Penelope was about to take control and loose herself a voice coming from the speakers located on the roof made her jump away from the taller girl: “Miss Park we're closing the roof for tonight and we were informed that your car is ready to take you back as you requested when you confirmed your attendance.”

This wasn't happening.

Clearing her throat Penelope offered: “You want a ride home?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know you want them to kiss and I promise it won't be long now. If you want to interact or yell at me my twitter is @1penelopepark   
> What did you think of Josie at the gala and the way Penelope handled the situation? Also I would love to hear who you think will initiate their first kiss and how it will play out


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty insecure about this chapter, but I really do hope you guys enjoy it!  
> Especially after last nights episode and the interview I think we all need some more Posie in our lives

Josie followed Penelope back into the elevator. She couldn't believe that their second moment had been once again been interrupted. They had been so close to kissing again and the brunette felt so frustrated that she was being deprived of the experience of kissing the raven haired girl's lips.

To Josie's surprise they didn't get off on the ground floor, but the one the gala had been held at.

“Where are we going?”, she questioned.

“I don't know about you, but I want to get out of this dress and into more comfortable clothes again. Did you get here wearing this?”

“Kind of.”, the brunette admitted and was rewarded by a cute chuckle.

“I would have love to see the face of you taxi driver when you got into the car looking like this.”, she said with a small smile on her face and an amused spark twinkling in her eyes.

“Looking like this?”, Josie asked with a raised eye brow, trying to hide her smirk that was threatening to appear on her features.

“Now you're just fishing for compliments.”, Penelope smirked and when the college girl just grinned back in return she added, “But fine I'll bite. You getting in, looking like a movie star going to the oscars, must have been the best moment of his day. I for sure know that it would have been for me.”

Josie was rendered speechless again, not able to contain a blush. Sure she had wanted the barista to say something sweet, but once more Penelope had been even smoother than the brunette had anticipated. It still baffled her how much of an effect the other girl's words had on her. Josie wasn't a stranger to compliments, never had been, but whenever Penelope gave her one the girl knocked the ball out of the park.

Penelope just smirked and opened a door. Revealing a crazy huge room that seemed to have everything one could possibly need.

“Why are there no beds?”, Josie wondered. At first she had thought it was a hotel room, but the space seemed to be missing the most important furniture for a night's stay.

“Are you trying to get me into bed Saltzman?”, the barista laughed, a teasing sparkle flickering in her eyes.

Heat shot up into her face again and the brunette quickly started to ramble: “No! I was just curious because it seemed like a hotel room, but I don't think this is the kind of hotel that would have such an error as to missing a bed.”

“So what you are saying is that you don't want to get me into bed?”, Penelope continued teasing her, obviously amused by the reactions she got from the college girl.

“Penelope!”, Josie groaned in frustration. Normally she was the one who made insinuations and did the teasing. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.”, she grinned and clarified, “This is a dressing room. It's not meant to be slept in.”

Josie's eyes went wide: “You mean this is a room simply to get dressed in? That's ridiculous!”

“After everything that you have seen today are you really surprised?”

“I guess not. But you can't blame me for being mind blown by this. Today has been so new for me. Everything I've experienced was something I never thought I would ever get to know.”, she explained.

Penelope got more serious at that. Josie could see that there were a lot of things going through her mind, but she stopped herself from pushing. Even though she wanted to know what the other girl was thinking, the brunette knew that Penelope would tell her if she wanted to.

“I was wondering about how you feel about today. You did say that you like your world better... So I guess I wanted to know if today has been okay for you.”, Penelope opened up to her.

Josie softly looked into her eyes. She had been the one to ignore the barista's warnings and decided to show up uninvited. Penelope had saved her so many times today that she had lost count and here she was asking her how she felt. The raven haired girl has shown her so much consideration and care over the course of the day like she had never experienced before.

“Penelope, you have no idea how much I appreciate everything you did for me. From getting me this dress to telling me not to go and then to coming to my rescue when I did show up. You have been incredible and I have no idea on how to repay you. Sure I received some hostility, but in the end they acknowledged me because you made them. I'm glad I came here. I got to see you in this environment and to be honest the champagne was killer. Plus seeing all of this has been amazing. And I'm happy that you were the one by my side. I couldn't have asked for someone better to share this with.”

Penelope smiled and stepped closer to her, pressing a lingering kiss on her cheek. When she pulled away again there was such tenderness in her eyes that Josie's heart started to ache.

“I couldn't have asked for someone better as well.”, the raven haired girl whispered and took a step back again, “We should get changed though. The car is waiting downstairs. I can give you a hoodie and some sweatpants if you want. I always pack some extras when I'm out of town in case I do spend the night at a hotel.”

“Thanks, that'd be nice.”

After both of them had changed and the stresses were safely stored away Penelope lead her downstairs where a limousine waited for them. 

Josie had prepared herself on their ride down with the elevator to see a fancy car like that. It was still unreal though that that was how the barista had spend living her life until now. Penelope was everything but entitled and arrogant. Maybe she was even the most grounded person the brunette had met so far. She was so impressed by the raven haired girl that she wasn't even aware how long she had been staring in awe at Penelope.

Chuckling the barista asked: “Are you going to get in or will you continue staring at me?”

Looking down in embarrassment Josie muttered: “Getting in now. It's a fancy ride though.”

She knew that her comment on the limousine was probably not going to be a valid excuse for her staring at Penelope, but if the other girl could see through her, which she most likely could, she didn't let it show.

The inside of the car was beautifully made. The black leather looked almost as comfortable as it was and the bar with all the beverages one could wish for was illuminated by a soothing turquoise.

When they were both seated their driver turned on the engine and they smoothly started to take off.

Penelope poured both of them another glass of champagne. With an exhilarating ease she handed Josie one flute and leaned back into her seat. One arm was propped up on the backrest, one leg o the seat with her foot tugged under the other leg. Her body was shifted so she was facing Josie, a smile plastered on her face. 

The brunette's heart rate was starting to accelerate again. Confidence seemed to come to Penelope easily. Her entire aura tonight had been intoxicating. Not that that was different on any other day she had interacted with the raven haired girl. But ever since she had layed her eyes on the barista at the gala there was something even more powerful about her. It was intimidating and thrilling at the same time.

Seemingly mindlessly Penelope played with one of Josie's brown locks. But the look she was giving the college girl from under her eye lashes was an indication that she clearly knew what she was doing.

Josie's mind went blank and she had to visibly gulp. Even though they weren't drunk, the brunette felt the effect of the alcohol and she imagined that Penelope might also be tipsy at this point. The realization of that made her heart stutter. The sexual tension between them had gotten worse as time progressed and now it was so thick she could cut it with a knife.

Penelope's eyes were dark and the brunette was sure that her's were too. All she wanted to do was be closer, but it seemed like the other girl had different things in mind.

When Josie moved to sit closer Penelope stopped her motion by circling her fingers around the back of her neck, gripping onto her hair. It didn't hurt, but Josie still felt the tug on her hair. She had to bite her lip before a small moan could escape her lips, a blush creeping onto her face.

A knowing smile played on Penelope's curled up lips. She leaned forward and put her flute of champagne away. Her body was now almost against the brunette's and it was getting hard for Josie to think properly. Her breath was hitching and the raven haired girl's neck was practically calling out for her lips. All she had to do was lean forward the tiniest bit and connect her lips to Penelope's jaw. But she controlled herself. The barista was teasing her and she was not going to give in that easily.

She resisted the urge ever time Penelope ran her fingertips over her arm, played with her hair or tempted her with the closeness of her body. Josie was determined to not lose the game the barista had started to play. And if she was being honest it was a huge turn on. The anticipation and the torture of the near touch. The shivers that ran up her spine, or the goosebumps Penelope left on her skin wherever her touch lingered.

Despite the little game they had going on, they managed to uphold a conversation for the duration of the ride. Sure it was often interrupted by the biting of one's lip, or the teasing touch that made both parties go silent. But in the end they got to know each other better, talking about their daily lives and all kinds of random topics.

 

Penelope was woken up by ringing of her phone. She had come home last night a little after two in the morning and now it wasn't even eight. A glance at the caller ID wasn't even necessary for her to know who it was.

“Hi mom.”, she answered.

“Penelope.”, the voice of her mother greeted her. Her tone was unnervingly neutral, giving her no clue about what was to come.

“Just say what you called me to say.”, Penelope decided to skip the pleasantries. After all they never really did small talk, always cutting straight to the chase.

“Richard signed the contract we proposed.”, her mother started. The raven haired girl couldn't tell if there was something like pride in her voice. But probably not.

“That's great news. I'm really happy for you and dad.”, she answered, still not entirely sure of what her mother wanted to talk to her about.

“You should be happy for us. We are all Parks and the company is as much yours as it is ours.”, her mother pointed out, “We were positively surprised to hear that you handled yourself so good last night. The only thing that we found concerning was your arm candy. Who you haven't warned us about by the way. Luckily for you, we were able to promote her as some sort of charity project of yours.”

There it was. Her parents hadn't called because they were proud of her, but because of Josie.

“Why am I not surprised.”, Penelope sighed tired.

“Because you know what you did was inappropriate. This cannot happen again.”, her mother told her. It was more of an order than a request.

“Josie did nothing to embarrass me or the Park reputation.”, she defended the brunette.

“Other than showing up of course. What happened to Ivy? From what I heard you did embarrass her. We had a hard time to mend fences with the Perrins. Your stunt could have cost us dearly, but I guess you don't care about that. You have never cared about things like that.”, her mother's voice had become colder, scolding her now.

“Ivy made a fool out of her self on her own. The only thing I did to put her in a tough spot was seen as an act of power from my side. I know how to play the cards mother.”, Penelope reasoned.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, so the barista added the one thing she never really said, but had mentioned a lot the previous night: “I am a Park after all.”

She wished she could see her parent's faces now. This was the first time she had said something like that. Usually all she did was distance herself from the family name and insist on only being Penelope. Only wanting to be judged on her own merits.

“Then come back and start to help out at the company. You are the true heir, Penelope. It is supposed to be yours one day.”

Penelope didn't know what she had expected to hear. Words of pride and approval rarely to never came form her parents. But of course it hurt. She felt like the only way of getting recognized as a Park in her family's eyes was by stepping into their footsteps.

“I'm going through with this year of being on my own. Away from all of that.”, she replied weakly.

“But this is ridiculous. Stop wasting your time and do something with your life. I know we had a deal, but that never involved some random girl accompanying you to events.”

“Her name is Josie. And if I may remind you, the deal also never involved me coming back and attending a gala.”, Penelope fired back angrily. She couldn't believe the ignorance and the hypocrisy of her mother.

“Take my advice and cut this Josie loose. Come back and forget all about this pipe dream of yours.”

“No. Please honor our deal. If I fail then I'm yours after the year.”

“Listen to me Penelope. There have to be consequences for threatening our reputation. However we don't go back on our deals. You'll be expected to attend whatever event we want you to go to in exchange for you to have this little adventure.”, her mother said in a final tone.

There was no point to argue now. Every word would fall onto deaf ears.

“Fine. Goodbye mother.”, Penelope agreed defeated and hung up.

What a way to start the day. The raven haired girl was aware that their conversation could have gone worse, but the bargain she got was still not desirable. The whole purpose of the deal had been to get away from her old world and immerse herself into a new one that was her own. Now she her past had sunken its' claws into her flesh again, pulling her back in.

As she entered the main living area of the apartment she saw Landon sitting on his bed, coffee in his hand. When his eyes landed on her he sent her a concerned look.

“What happened? I'm sorry I was already asleep when you got back, but I was so tired that I just passed out.”, he apologized.

“Don't worry about it.”, Penelope waved off and got herself a cup of coffee, sitting down next to her best friend. She was so glad that she had Landon. He was her anchor and she felt so much gratitude for his comfort.

“So you want to tell me what happened?”, he asked again softly, making sure that Penelope knew that she didn't have to talk about it if she didn't want to.

“Josie showed up. I just got a call from my mom who told me that our deal has been altered and I have to attend any event they ask me to go to now.”, the barista shortly summarized.

“Damn, that sucks P. I'm sorry. So are we going back to ignoring and disliking Josie?”, he asked.

It meant so much to the raven haired girl that Landon would always support her. He was the only one who understood her when it came to the world of their parents and even if she didn't elaborate he would go along with anything she asked him to do when it came to the brunette.

“No. Josie actually made yesterday bearable. I made sure that no one disrespected her and with all the schmoozing I was during they eventually even stopped pretending that she wasn't there right next to me.”, Penelope faintly smiled, thinking back to the events of last night.

“Wow. Who are you and what have you done with Penelope Park? Schmoozing all night and Josie making you feel better?”, Landon laughed out loud and teasingly giving her a shove.

“I must be possessed by some evil spirit.”, Penelope continued their banter. Slowly feeling how the weight that had been on her shoulders since she answered the phone call was lifted.

“You sure must be.”, Landon grinned, “But in all honesty now. What is your deal with Josie?”

That was a complicated question. Penelope wasn't sure herself what was happening between the two of them. So much had changed ever since the day she had agreed to go to the house party with her and Hope.

“I don't know.”, she dragged the words out, “She has shown me a completely different side and I really like that version of her. It feels real and I can't help but enjoy spending time with her.”

After a short moment of silence he tentatively asked: “Do you like her P?”

Penelope met Landon's eyes. He wasn't insinuating anything, even though he had every reason to do so. Landon cared about her feelings and the best way to be there for her was to ask the questions she was too scared to ask herself. It was one of his traits that showed her how much of an amazing friend he really was. Not confronting feelings and not dealing with stuff had never helped anyone. An acquaintance or just a simply friend would never push her to acknowledge her own feelings. Would never urge her to be honest with herself. They would just go along with everything she was doing.

“We did have two moments where we almost kissed, but each time we were thankfully interrupted. I wouldn't know how to act afterwards. After all Josie is the popular girl who toys with people. But then again I have seen her be so vulnerable. I just feel like she wouldn't handle it so well. I mean it surprises me how open she has been with me lately, but at the end of the day she is still this college girl that wants to have the best reputation. Who wants to be a player. To be in control. I think it would all just end in a disaster.”, Penelope explained.

“You guys almost kissed twice?”, Landon gasped shocked. He had known that the two girls had become close, but never would he have imagined that his best friend was ready to lock lips with the brunette.

“It doesn't matter though. I won't let it get this far again. I'm good with being friends and getting to know her better with time.”, the raven haired girl tried to divert the attention away from their two intimate moments and the never ending flirting that had happened during their car ride.

“P you can't expect me to just let this information slide! You like her!”, her best friend exclaimed as shocked as he was excited.

“Landon, it doesn't mater though. Have you been listening to me? It would only end in chaos and I don't need that right now. I have enough going on. I don't need to add Josie drama to the pile of things that are currently on my mind.”

It was true. With her parents having more control over her life now again, Penelope wasn't ready to throw Josie into the mix. She was sure that the girl was a ticking time bomb. Sure she had gone into the offensive when she had started to shamelessly flirt and tease the brunette, but she blamed the alcohol and Josie just looking so damn good. Now that she was thinking rationally again she was aware of how stupid and careless that had been.

“No, I won't have it.”, he began but was interrupted by the other barista.

“It's not the right time Landon, can we just drop it?”

“What happened to the Penelope who philosophized about how emotions are not a rational thing. That feelings don't have a time schedule and just pop up whenever they want to. The Penelope who said that we don't have any control over our heart and the only choice we have is to either listen and deal with those feelings or to run away? Since when are you a runner P?”

Penelope hated to admit it, but her best friend was right. She had always taken pride in being honest with herself and having the courage to not run away from her feelings and problems. More often than she had liked she had gotten hurt because of that. But at the end of the day it had made her a better person.

“I love you Landon. You might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but you're the best best friend anyone could ever hope for.”, she said and leaned into his side. His arms immediately pulling her closer and engulfing her in a side hug.

“I love you too P. I just want to see you happy.”

 

“Josie tell me everything!”, the excited voice of her sister broke her out of her deep slumber.

The brunette hadn't gotten that much sleep so her sister pressing her for details so early was not ideal for her. It had taken her forever to fall asleep after Penelope had dropped her off at her dorm. She had been all giddy and it had been incredibly hard for her to calm down in order to fall asleep when Penelope's touches still ghosted over her skin and the raven haired girl's smile was imprinted into the back of her mind.

“Lizzie, I was trying to have my beauty sleep.”, Josie groaned as she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

“You're already pretty, you don't need beauty sleep. So wake up and spill!”, her twin dismissed her argument and plopped down next to Josie.

The college girl knew that there was no way she could escape Lizzie's interrogation right now. However the more she woke up the more she actually craved to tell her sister everything. That way she could get the blonde's opinion on Penelope and everything that was happening between them.

So Josie sat up straight and told Lizzie everything. She tried to remember every single detail about her interactions with the raven haired girl and explained how each and every action made her feel. Of course she left out some of her most embarrassing reactions, but all in all she told her the truth.

The brunette had always been honest with her twin. They made each other better because they trusted each other with everything they were. Calling each other out on a lie, solving problems together and coming up with ideas on how to become even more popular. They pushed each other to improve themselves.

Once Josie had finished, Lizzie shook her head with a knowing smirk.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing. It's just that now you can finally admit that you have a crush on Penelope and make your move to get with her for real. She's rich and powerful, so she being your girlfriend would only boost your reputation. There's nothing in your way of going after who you really want.”, the blonde winked at her happily.

“Why does everybody keep saying that I have a crush on her?”, Josie exclaimed, rolling her eyes in annoyance when Lizzie gave her a pointed look, “Lizzie, I won't ask her out. First of all, Penelope clearly doesn't want to be recognized as the rich and powerful girl she is, so I won't tell everybody just to make myself look better. Secondly I do not have a crush on her. I'm simply attracted to her. And thirdly we cannot both be in a relationship. This works so well because you have a dope popular boyfriend and I am 'available' for everyone else to chase after.”

“I could drop my 'dope popular boyfriend'.”, her sister muttered under her breath, her mood suddenly dropping.

“What?”, Josie asked perplex. She knew that Rafael wasn't always the poster boyfriend, but Lizzie seemed to like him a lot. Even if he pissed her off at times.

“Why can't you just admit that you like Penelope?”, her twin tried to change the subject, but it was to no avail.

“Lizzie why would you say that you could break up with Rafael? Did something happen between you guys?”

“Jo, please don't worry about it.”

“I am you sister, of course I worry!”, Josie said empathetic, pulling Lizzie into a side hug, her sister immediately snuggling into her embrace.

“Then answer me one question honestly and I'll tell you everything about Raf.”

“Anything.”

“Why don't you give Penelope a chance? You clearly care about her a lot, so I don't see why you would run away now that she has actually shown an interest in you too. That' what you were trying to achieve form the beginning right? I've never seen you like this about anyone before, Josie. You literally light up when you talk about her and you blush. You freaking blush! Honestly I am so happy for you. So why on earth would you pass up an opportunity at happiness like that?”

Josie was silent after that. It shouldn't have surprised her that both Hope and Lizzie had picked up on what was so apparent. Penelope was different. She made Josie feel different. Ever since Lizzie and her had decided to be at the top of the food chain, she had build up walls around the real her. No one ever managed to break those barriers down. But the raven haired girl had made it look to easy. Tearing away all the bricks and unmasking her.

To top it off, Penelope had liked the real Josie. The brunette had always been insecure about being herself. Afraid that it would cost her the Queen Bee title. The barista had disliked her popular persona and had shown interested in Josie Saltzman. It honestly made her heart go crazy and filled her stomach with butterflies whenever she thought about that.

Penelope made her feel special without flirting or acts of physical affection. She had even managed to make the brunette feel more loved with her words, than any kiss from all the people Josie had kissed had ever made the college girl feel.

So of course she should jump at the opportunity to ask Penelope out. She should be ecstatic about it. It should be the easiest thing to admit that she was crushing on the raven haired girl. But it wasn't.

Josie couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the situation she found herself in. It was too much for her. Her own expectations of how her life was supposed to go, didn't align with what was happening with Penelope. Still she couldn't deny that she felt drawn to the other girl.

“I can't Lizzie.”, she finally said.

The blonde nodded in defeat. Josie could see that her twin wasn't disappointed in her and by her answer. There was a sad understanding in her eyes.

“All I ask is that you try.”

 

A knock on Penelope's door startled her. Landon was out already and she was enjoying her alone time by catching up on one of her favorite series. She had no idea who it could possibly be, so annoyed by the interruption she made her way to the door.

“Josie? What are you doing here and how on earth do you know where I live?”, the barista asked surprised.

“Hope knew because of Landon. Figures right?”, the brunette smiled at her.

There was something apprehensive about her. Her smile was genuine, but it was almost like she was unsure of how to act. Like her mind was somewhere else.

“Right. But that still doesn't explain why you showed up on my door step.”, the raven haired girl noted with a raised eye brow.

Penelope noticed the college girl blushing. 

“I just wanted to return your clothes. Thank you again for letting me borrow them. I'm in love with the dress, which you can totally get back by the way so you can return it, but a hoodie is way more comfortable.”, the brunette started to explain, the bush still lingering on her cheeks.

Smirking the barista took the clothes the other girl was handing her. The confidence from last night and the one the popular cheerleader usually had going for her seemed to be missing right now.

“I meant it when I told you that you could keep the dress. Hope probably told you the price, but let me assure you: I can afford it and I want you to have it.”, Penelope said softly and added: “Honestly I wouldn't want to see it on someone else. You were stunning.”

The raven haired girl could almost see a switch being flipped. A lopsided smile graced Josie's features and she stood a little taller.

“Well thank you. But personally I must say I loved wearing your clothes.”, she winked at her.

Penelope didn't see that one coming. Biting her lip she stepped aside. “You want to come in for a sec?”

She was sure Josie did it on purpose. The way her hips swayed as she walked inside her apartment were too perfect and suggestive. Penelope's brain almost short-circuited at the display she way given. Shaking her head the barista closed the door and followed the brunette who was already walking towards the kitchen.

Deciding that two could play this game she gently put her one hand at the small of Josie's back, softly pushing her aside so she could reach the coffee machine. As soon as her hand had made contact, Penelope could hear the brunette take a sharp intake of breath.

“Coffee?”, she innocently asked and the other girl nodded with a forced smile. The brunette obviously had a hard time getting her mind out of the gutter.

Penelope pushed a few buttons and wanted to turn around so she could face the college girl again. But before she could do so she felt her presence behind her. The warmth radiating off of Josie's body was enough for the barista to heat up.

Swallowing she felt how the brunette slowly stepped even closer, placing her hands on the counter, trapping Penelope in between her arms. Her breath was tickling her ear in the most torturous way and she felt Josie leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“I'd give you my coffee order, but you know how I like it.”

Shutting her eyes Penelope bit down on her lip hard. Her heart was thumping like crazy and it was way too hot to be wearing so much.

“Perks of being your barista.”, she replied with a husky voice. She was relieved that she could even come up with an answer to that.

Turning around Penelope hooped her two index fingers through the belt loops of Josie's jeans. She let her eyes travel up slowly to meet the brunette's chocolate brown eyes which have darkened considerably.

“My barista?”, the taller girl raised an eye brow, eyes fixed on Penelope's plump lips and voice now only slightly above a whisper.

Penelope was sure she wouldn't be able to take it any longer. The brunette was running one of her hands through her dark locks while the other one was still pressed to the cold surface of the counter that her back was currently against.

She knew she wasn't going to answer that. Her mind was everywhere else but focused on the 'conversation' that they were having. Both their breaths had gotten shorter and the coffee was forgotten. Unhooking her index fingers she moved her hands along the curves of Josie's body, pushing her back against the kitchen island. 

When the brunette's back hit the counter she could hear a small gasp escape the taller girl's lips and the fingers in her dark hair tightened, pulling her immediately closer.

Penelope could feel Josie's heart and it only made her's beat faster. Her body was thudding with nerves and anticipation. All she could do was stare at the brunette's lips.

“Just fucking kiss me already Penelope.”, Josie moaned in frustration.

That sent heat right to her core and she surged forward, capturing Josie's lips with her own. Their lips moved in perfect synch and time stood still. It was just her and Josie, getting lost in the other one. The brunette eventually deepened the kiss, hand running up the barista's spine to get lost in her hair as well.

Penelope needed the other girl to be even closer and by the way the taller girl was tugging at her hair she had a feeling that Josie felt the same.

Not breaking their kiss, Penelope circled her arm around the brunette's waist and put the other at the back of the taller ones neck. Slowly guiding her to the couch next to their kitchen. 

In one swift motion Penelope pushed her down. Josie was looking at her with dark eyes and already slightly swollen lips. The image turned the raven haired girl on even more and she lowered herself down, hovering over the brunette's body.

The two girl were catching their breath while taking in their view. Penelope slipped one of her legs between Josie's, moving it up with enough pressure to draw a low moan from the brunette. Josie's hand griped her shirt and pulled her down, flushing their bodies back together.

Pinning one of the brunette's hands above their heads Penelope started to place kisses from the collarbone up to her jawline. Sucking on her soft pots to elicit the sweet sounds that Josie made and that drove the raven haired girl wild.

Desperate for more friction Josie pushed her hips up to meet her thigh. Connection their lips again Penelope obliged to the taller girls silent pleas and started grinding in the way Josie needed her. Fingers dug into her back and the hand the barista was still pinning down was squirming, struggling get away from under her grip to move over Penelope's body.

Their tongues were fighting for dominance and Penelope was ready to get rid of some of their unnecessary clothing when Josie's phone started to ring.

The sound reminded the raven haired girl that there was a real world besides the one she was currently in. Reluctantly she started to pull away form the brunette.

“Don't stop...please.”, Josie whimpered, a pleading look on her flushed and beautiful features.

“We...need...to.”, Penelope mumbled huskily in between long and deep kisses.

Taking control Josie sat up, Penelope instinctively moving so she was straddling the taller girl. The cheerleader took ahold of the hem of her shirt and before the barista could even comprehend what was going on Josie was only in her navy lace bra.

“Not fair.”, Penelope breathed, admiring the beauty in front of her.

The phone was still ringing, even though it seemed a little bit far away. It annoyed her, but at the same time she couldn't do anything about it with Josie showing so much smooth skin.

Penelope let her fingers run over Josie's skin, completely mesmerized by the taller girl. However she was starting to realize that they shouldn't go further. Plus the college girl's phone was ringing non stop.

Willing herself to stop gawking at the brunette, she reached into the back pocket of Josie's jeans and pulled her phone out.

“You should answer that.”, she said after clearing her throat and getting up from the couch.

Huffing in frustration the brunette answered the call: “Hey Hope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think?? Them making out has definitely been a long time coming :D
> 
> But then again: kissing is the easy part... the hard part is how its going to be afterwards


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy and grateful for all the positive response I have gotten <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one!

“Josie! I'm so glad I caught you. Are you free and do you want to swing by our dorm? I've got something to tell you and you still need to tell me all about last night.”, Hope excitedly said on the other end of the call.

It wasn't like Penelope and her could just continue what they were doing before. The raven haired girl seemed to have recovered from the rush and was now sipping her probably not so steaming hot coffee on one of the bar stools. Her green eyes were trained on her, but she looked lost in thought.

“Sure, I'll be there soon.”, the brunette agreed and disconnected the call, not even waiting for Hope to say goodbye.

Unsure of how to go about this, Josie put on her shirt again, stood up and made her way towards the barista. She looked so beautiful with the coffee mug in both of her hands, green eyes meeting her brown ones. There was a spark in them and the way she was looking at her made Josie smile. All she wanted to do was reach out and connect their lips again.

Tentatively the brunette stepped closer and Penelope quirked up an amused eye brow. However she turned around to fully face Josie and pull her in close so Josie was standing in between her legs.

“So I guess you need to go now?”, Penelope questioned.

“Yeah. Hope has some news for me.”, the college girl replied, relishing in the warmth of the other girl.

“Well tell her I said hi. I need to get ready anyways. I have a shift starting in an hour.”

Penelope shifted closer to her and Josie's pulse quickened in response. But instead of kissing her again the raven haired girl hopped of the bar stool. Bumping slightly into the brunette in the process.

Pushing past her the shorter girl smirked: “I'm going to walk you out.”

“Tease.”

“Says the one who pulled off her shirt.”, Penelope chuckled.

“Touche.”, Josie grinned and followed the barista to the door. 

The brunette didn't want to leave. She still hadn't really processed what just happened and it had been over almost as soon as it had started. Josie felt kind of cheated by that.

Standing at the door the two girls were looking at each other again. There was no awkward silence, no insecurity of how to say goodbye. Both of them just looked into the eyes of the other one, enjoying the moment, stalling their inevitable parting.

“My shift ends at eight if you want to stop by. We would have the coffee shop to ourselves and I could make us some coffee. Maybe this time we end up drinking it.”, Penelope winked at her.

“Sounds like a plan.”, Josie blushed, thinking back to their hot make out session just minutes ago.

Josie didn't want to leave before kissing the raven haired girl again so she slowly leaned down, capturing the barista's lips delicately with her own. Penelope kissed her back just as sweetly, sneaking her arms around the back of the brunette's neck, making their bodies go flush together.

When Penelope deepened the kiss Josie felt the familiar heat rushing through her blood. The tension was rising again and she felt how the barista started to get worked up as well. However Penelope pulled away, making the brunette chase her lips, the feeling of hers against her own.

“I'll see you later JoJo.”

At the nickname Josie broke out in a huge grin. People usually called her Jo, or just Josie. So Penelope having her own nickname for her felt special. It felt right.

Instead of answering the college girl just continued to smile, stealing one last quick kiss before she walked out of the door and to the main road that would lead her back to her own room.

She could still feel the touch of Penelope's lips, the touch of her hands on her body. Her perfume still lingered on her clothes and she had to use all her willpower to not act weird and smell her shirt that smelled so much like the raven haired girl.

Kissing Penelope Park was insane. Josie had never felt such a rush, such a wave of emotions before. It had been so different to every other kiss she had ever had. It wasn't like she hadn't enjoyed what she had experienced before. It was more that the barista gave her something even more intense. Something rare and special. A feeling she had to protect and a feeling she needed to feel again.

There was this urge inside of her chest that made her go crazy. Nerves running through her entire body, still, and lighting up the world around her. Josie felt like she was on a high, but already craving her next fix. All she wanted to do was see Penelope again. Feel the other girls fingertips running all over her body, lips locked with her own.

Maybe her own desires would have embarrassed the brunette, but she was too happy to care. Her steps were light and the sun's rays were fueling the warmth that was burning inside of her chest.

When she was close to her dorm reality caught up with her. The happy buzzing subsided and was replaced by a voice at the back of her mind.

The barista wanted to talk tonight. Sure she hadn't explicitly said that, but drinking coffee in a private place sounded a lot like a perfect opportunity to have a complicated conversation about feelings.

Josie wasn't ready for that. After all what was she supposed to say? She loved kissing the raven haired girl. Quite frankly all she wanted to do was kiss her, but that didn't mean she wanted to date her right? Lizzie and Hope were already calling her out on having a crush on the barista and after what happened Josie couldn't deny that anymore. She had a crush on Penelope Park.

But that was exactly the point. It was a crush and nothing more. Even if everything she was experiencing with the raven haired beauty was different. Somehow more. She was not going to start dating her.

The brunette wouldn't let herself be confined. She had always been the girl people wanted to be with. The girl that they chased. Josie loved being desired and though that probably wouldn't change if she were in a relationship, she loved the freedom of being single as well. The college girl had never been the relationship kind of girl. But whenever she had been in one, she had been in control. Setting the start of it as well as the expiration date. Strings were a foreign concept for the cheerleader and definitely not desirable in her eyes.

But Josie knew that it would be different with Penelope. If she were to let herself fall for the girl there would be strings. Messy feelings. A relationship in which each one had to give and take. And a loss of control.

As all those thoughts hit her, one became stronger until it was the only thing Josie could hear: You cannot let yourself fall for Penelope if you want to continue living the life you have right now.

The realization started to seep through her veins like ice. The warmth she had felt earlier was eradicated. Replaced by the dreadful cold of her thoughts. She didn't want to stop kissing Penelope, but she had to find a way to not let it get too serious. She needed to stay in control of her feelings.

When the brunette opened the door to the room she shared with her twin sister and Hope she came to the conclusion that they couldn't know about the kiss. It would only complicate things. She had to keep it a secret.

“Josie, there you are! What took you so long?”, Hope jumped up with a huge grin, wrapping her arms around the taller girl.

“You seem happy, what did I miss?”, Josie forced a laugh that was supposed to sound carefree. She knew that it probably wasn't convincing, but Hope was too giddy to notice.

“Halsey is going to be in town this weekend. Well not in town town, but like a couple of hours drive away.”, her best friend squealed.

“That's great, but we don't have tickets.”, Josie reminded her, not sure why this was such good news that Hope had insisted on her coming over right away.

“Landon said he could get us some super exclusive tickets. He just needs to know how many people we are and then we're all set!”

Jose should be over the moon. She loved Halsey and her music was great. But the weight of her thoughts was still weighting down on her. Dimming her excitement considerably. However Hope couldn't know about it so the brunette put on her widest smile and put her arms around Hope in a crushing hug.

“Oh my god that is amazing! I can't believe we'll get to see her live! Does Lizzie already know? And who are we taking with us?”, she bombarded her best friends with questions.

On one side she did want to know the answers. On the other she was desperately trying to distract Hope from seeing past her act.

“Well Landon and Penelope are going for sure. Then it's you, Lizzie and me. Raf is probably going to come with Lizzie and I thought about inviting MG as well.”, the shorter brunette listed all the names that had come to her mind.

Penelope. Of course she would be there as well. After all it had been Landon who told Hope about the concert. Still she froze when her best friend said her name. Her heart thumped louder and the tingling sensation of nerves that she got more and more often whenever the raven haired girl was involved shot through her as well.

Shaking her head slightly she said smiling: “Sounds like the best crowd to go with.”

“I know right? Lizzie should be here soon so until she arrives you can fill me in on what happened at the gala.”, Hope grinned, while Josie heart stuttered again. If it continued like this she would need to go see a doctor about her weird palpitations. There was seriously something wrong with her heart.

While the two best friends waited for Lizzie to return so they could fill her in on their luck, Josie told Hope about the events of last night. To the contrary of this morning when she had talked to Lizzie, she left out a lot more of her emotions. She was playing everything down and got rid of the information about the almost kiss on the roof top altogether. The brunette also didn't mention that she had paid Penelope's a visit when Hope had called her.

It felt wrong to lie to Hope. But then again it wasn't lying, she was just withholding some tiny details. Still that thought didn't make her feel better about any of it.

Luckily for Josie Lizzie returned before Hope could continue to grill her about the gala and Penelope.

Since Hope was super hyped, Josie let her fill Lizzie in on everything. The blonde was genuinely ecstatic about the opportunity to go see Halsey. She started to talk about making a playlist so they could listen to it 24/7 and learn the lyrics so they could sing along to every song by heart.

When Hope named everyone who was going to come with Lizzie's face fell a bit. And even though it had only been a second, Hope had picked up on it. Josie was glad that she had always been the better actress.

“What's wrong Lizzie?”, the twin's best friend asked concerned.

Josie stayed quiet. Her sister had briefly told her about her problems with Rafael earlier this morning before she had left to go to Penelope's place to give her her clothes back. It wasn't her place to enlighten Hope, Lizzie had to be the one to tell her about it.

The brunette knew that her sister hated to admit to having problems. Josie was her twin and it was still a struggle for Lizzie to come and ask her for help. With Hope it was even more difficult. Even though the blonde saw the brunette as another sister, she didn't have the special bond she had with her brunette twin. But in the end Lizzie always ended up talking to her.

“Rafael and I are having problems.”, she started, “Well actually I'm having problems with him. I mean don't get me wrong, he's super well build and he is the quarterback and well-liked and I'm sure that he has feelings for me. But I don't know if we are right for each other. I like him a lot, but especially lately I see him more of a best friend than a person I want to be with romantically. My feelings just don't run as deep as I believe they should. In addition to that I know that I only got together with him in the first place because of his social status here. That shouldn't be the basis right? There should have been some serious feelings too? Plus he stopped treating me like a princess. I mean I get that at one point the honeymoon phase is over, but that doesn't mean that he can stop trying to be cute all the time am I right? I don't feel special at all anymore. And during our last fight Raf actually yelled at me about not wanting to deal with my 'drama' anymore. Everything I do seems to piss him off lately. It's almost like all I'm good for is his reputation and him getting off.”

Lizzie sounded defeated and there was a sadness in her bright blue eyes. It broke Josie's heart to see her sister like this. The blonde had opened up even more and the more Josie got to know the more it hurt her.

“Lizzie you should never feel like this. I'm so sorry that you're going through that right now.”, Hope exclaimed and pulled Lizzie in for a tight hug.

Josie hugged her twin from the other side and mumbled: “We're always here for you. You will always have our support.”

“Thank you. I love you guys so much.”, Lizzie replied, audibly trying to suppress a sob.

“We love you too.”, the brunettes said simultaneously.

When the group hug dissolved the blonde looked at the two of them with big sad eyes. “What am I supposed to do?”

Her voice so small and fragile. There was no trace of the confidence and the strength her voice usually held. Josie wished that she could help, but she honestly didn't know how to. She didn't even know how to handle her own mess so how on earth could she be of any help to her sister? It pained her to feel so useless when her twin was hurting.

“Take him to the concert. You can view it as a last chance to see if you guys work as partners and if you come to the conclusion that you don't, we'll be right there for you to lean on. I'm not saying that you should break up with him the second you reach a decision. It should be somewhere private and like some other time. But with us there you'll be under less pressure and everything will be more relaxed.”, Hope suggested.

Lizzie nodded and pulled her two favorite people back in for a hug.

The three of them spend the rest of the day watching Netflix and eating ice cream and other sweets. It was exactly what the blonde needed. And unbeknown to her twin and Hope it was exactly what Josie needed as well. An escape from the real world with the happiness one got from chocolate and sugar.

 

Penelope closed the door. Her heart felt so big and light at the same time. She still couldn't comprehend what had happened. Josie and her had kissed. And it had been, for the lack of a better word, magical. There had been a kind of chemistry and pull towards each other that she had never experienced before.

Closing her eyes the raven haired girl leaned against the door. With deep and even breaths Penelope tried to feel every emotion flowing through her body at once. It had always been something she did whenever there was so much going on inside of her. The buzzing of all the feelings was overwhelming in a good way.

Suddenly there was a flash of Josie at the house party. Accompanying the imagine shooting through her head was the clenching of her heart and and then the well-known burning in her forearm. Tingles rushing to the tips of her fingers and the acceleration of her heart. Images, feelings and thoughts crashing down on her.

Penelope's eyes shot open and with impatient fingers she took out her phone. The words poured out of her, rapidly appearing on her screen. Seemingly chasing each other. Coming together as one coherent thought. Something that summed up everything that was blooming inside her heart.

The ghost of a kiss  
The touch of something I now miss  
Still lingers on my skin  
The barrier is getting thin

So easy to break through  
But I don't have a clue  
Of how I could possibly pick up the pieces  
If you were to change back

“Great.”, Penelope mumbled.

Whenever the urge to write a poem came over her, it meant that she was unable to cope with all of her emotions. Somehow writing it down made everything going on inside her make sense. Basically it was her way of figuring her stuff out.

And apparently even though the raven haired girl was feeling ecstatic about locking lips with the beautiful brunette she was scared of Josie returning to her old ways.

Penelope knew that her premonition wasn't unfounded. While Josie had opened up to her and shown her who she really is, the raven haired barista hadn't interacted with the brunette in front of the popular college crowd since. It would be naive of her to assume that Josie would be her authentic self around her when they were at a huge party again. It was still new for the brunette to be vulnerable in front of her, so behaving like that in front of an audience would certainly be a challenge for the girl.

But she would not be Josie's secret. Hiding behind an act was something Penelope wouldn't do. She would not let the brunette walk all over her, just to be with her behind closed doors or in front of selected eyes.

“Don't get ahead of yourself P. You don't have to assume the worst, just take the things as they come. You'll deal with issues once they arise.”, the barista told herself to soothe her nerves that were starting to flare up.

Grabbing her things Penelope left the apartment to go to work. It was still early, but she figured that walking might help her to calm down.

The walk to the coffee shop wasn't long, but the fresh air, the busy streets and the chatter worked wonders. Summer days always made everything seem easier. It was like the sun's warmth and light helped people to open their eyes to take in all the beauty that surrounded them. Penelope was no different. The smiles and the laughter coming from all around eased her mind.

By the time she entered her work place the raven haired girl was feeling good again. Thinking of the kiss didn't unease her anymore, but it made her giddy and happy.

“P! I have great news.”, Landon greeted her with a wide grin plastered over his face.

“Lay it on me.”, the barista chuckled as she got behind the counter. She decided that she could start to help out regardless of the fact that her shift was only starting in twenty minutes.

“You're the one with the power connections, while I'm the one who knows all the security guys right?”, her best friend started and continued when she nodded in agreement, “Well one of my guys texted me about this small Halsey gig. It's like a secret thing? I don't know to be honest. But apparently there are some super small concerts that only like random people get invited to to create an intimate atmosphere? It's all secret and underground, but so worth it. Or so I'm told. My guy made sure that I could bring some people and I asked Hope. She was super excited and is probably telling Josie and Lizzie about it right now.”

So Halsey was the reason Josie and her got interrupted. She loved the artist, but right about now she was not her biggest fan.

“Landon I'm so glad that you're starting to pull your weight in this relationship.”, Penelope grinned at him, “I thought my connections would be the only ones to ever get us awesome stuff.”

Glaring at her, Landon playfully shoved his best friend. 

“You're a terrible best friend P.”

“I love you too.”, the raven haired girl chuckled and both of them got back to work.

It was rather uneventful so both of them were glad to be in the company of the other. They joked around and got to spend some real quality time together again. After the gala and Josie getting more and more involved with Penelope, the barista was glad to have this time with her best friend. She had missed him. Missed how they had been during 'the old days'.

Her mood wasn't even brought down when Josie texted her that she couldn't make tonight because her sister needed her. Penelope didn't overthink it and made plans to go to the cinema with Landon. 

On their way there he finalized the number of invites for the small gig and everything was set up for their group meet that weekend.

 

The day of the concert Penelope felt more nervous about seeing Josie than seeing the singer. She hadn't seen the brunette since their make out session and it was starting to worry her. No matter how often she told herself not to jump to conclusions, the worries kept seeping through, infesting her mind.

The only thing that had reassured the raven haired girl was the fact that Josie was texting her every day. And her texts weren't just half-assed replies, but considerate questions and cute comments on whatever Penelope had to say.

Texting could never replace actual face to face interaction, but the barista was glad that she was apparently not the only one who wanted to talk to the other girl.

However since it had been a couple of days since their kiss and the small gig was going to be their first time seeing each other again, Penelope was nervous.

“Landon! Come in here. I need you opinion.”, she called out to her best friend who was currently in the process of finding the right outfit himself.

“How can I help?”, he asked, standing shirtless in her doorway.

“Wow. Save that”, she pointed at his bare chest, “for Hope later.”

“You needed me and I came as fast as possible. Appreciate the effort Park and don't complain.”, Landon rolled his eyes playfully.

“Point taken.”, Penelope blew him a kiss and turned her attention back to the three different outfits that were laying on her bed, “Which one do you think I should go for?”

“Well I think you should go for Josie.”, he smugly said.

“Landon! Stay on topic, please.”

“Sorry P. You seemed a bit tense.”, Landon commented, “But I mean Josie can surely help with that later.”

“Landon!”

Her best friend was grinning like a cheshire cat. It was obvious how smug he was feeling right now. If Landon weren't her best friend and his comments weren't actually on point Penelope probably would have kicked him out of her room agin. But since that wasn't the case an amused chuckle escaped her.

Shaking her head, still smiling slightly, she composed herself again: “Landon please just help me pick an outfit for tonight.”

Still grinning like an idiot her best friend shooed her away from the bed. Standing with his legs apart he put on a serious face expression. Humming appreciative and dismissive every once in a while, while his fingers rubbed his non-existent beard.

Landon was such a dork and Penelope loved him for it.

“This one.”, he said as he carefully, as if it the garment were made of glass, picked up the outfit of his choice.

“Thank you.”, Penelope rolled her eyes in annoyance.

As he left the room to keep changing the raven haired girl shook her head. Sometimes she wondered how on earth she got so lucky. Landon never failed to cheer her up and make her smile.

Looking at the clothes she wasn't really surprised that that was the chosen one. Landon had always been the one to go for 'simple with a bang'.

Penelope pulled on her tight black jeans and the flowy white blouse, doing a french tuck. To top it off and make her stand out she put on her Egyptian blue leather jacket. Elegant but simple tribal patterns ran down the sleeves of the jacket. They were in red, yellow and orange. Rivets decorated parts of the shoulders. 

The jacket had been wickedly expensive and the raven haired girl hadn't been sure about the entire design. After all there was a lot going on. Looking at the thing one could think that it was too much and it could never suit anybody. But somehow Penelope managed to pull it off and make it look even more expensive than it actually was.

Satisfied with how she looked she made her way to the main living area. Landon was done changing as well. To her surprise he was matching her. Underneath his black bomber jacket he was wearing a blue shirt with a white skull on it.

As she raised an eyebrow he said: “I just wanted you to know that I'm with you. Always. No matter how Josie acts today, I'll always have your back.”

Penelope softened. Landon was always so considerate and she truly couldn't have wished for a better best friend. He knew that she was nervous about tonight and the worries she had about the brunette going back to her old ways. So he did the only thing he could do, other than supporting her with hugs and words of course. He symbolically put on the same color as her.

 

It was pure chaos in the girl's dorm room. Lizzie, Hope and Josie were stressing about what outfit would be appropriate for this kind of gig. Everyone was scanning their closet for the perfect clothes while doing their make up at the same time.

The brunette cheerleader was the most nervous one though. Lizzie and Hope still didn't know about her locking lips with Penelope and the emotional struggle she was now in. They didn't know and therefore couldn't help to calm her down.

Josie knew that if she were to tell them about it, they would be over the moon for her and push her towards dating the barista. But she couldn't do that. Despite the butterflies in her stomach and the smile appearing on her face whenever she thought about Penelope being her girlfriend and she being hers, the brunette couldn't shake the voice at the back of her mind. The voice that had been there since forever. The small but persistent voice that she needed to have the perfect life. And perfection was only achieved by being in full control.

“Josie, are you done already?”, Lizzie brought her back to reality. 

Apparently she had spaced out again. It was happening a lot lately. But it didn't surprise the college girl. After all a certain raven haired girl and the problems accompanying her were constantly on her mind.

Josie had intended to slowly but surely decrease their texting, but every time Penelope had replied to one of her texts she got all giddy and got drawn in by the conversation. Her intense affection towards the girl was seriously getting a problem.

“I'm ready. Is Rafael already downstairs with the car?”, she replied and gave herself a once over in the mirror. She looked good with her high waisted checkered pants that were topped with a honey colored sweater.

Making their way downstairs where MG and Rafael were waiting for them, the girls excitedly talked about their favorite songs and how cool the entire night was going to be.

They were greeted by the two boys who obviously didn't talk to one another. It was clear to see that MG was relieved when his eyes fell on the three girls. Rafael didn't pay him any mind, ignoring him altogether and it was a painful reminder that MG and falling for Penelope were a bad thing for her social standing.

 

The drive was better than Josie had imagined when she saw how Raf had ignored the other guy. As soon as they were inside the small van Rafael had somehow gotten a hold of, Halsey was blasting from the speakers and everyone was singing along. MG and the girls were the first ones to shout out the lyrics, while it took a couple of songs for Lizzie's boyfriend to join in. But when he did it felt like the ice was finally broken and everyone started to fully enjoy themselves.

Rafael parked the car and the group got out. The sun was a beautiful orange right now, tinging the sky in a soothing fiery mix of colors. Josie was glad that she had settled for a sweater for it kept her warm, but still looked cute at the same time.

MG took the lead, phone in his hand and chatting happily with Hope who was walking next to him. Rafael had his arm around Lizzie and pulled her in close. He seemed to be behaving nicely, still the brunette felt that her twin wasn't entirely comfortable.

“We are here.”, MG stated and pointed to a small alley. It didn't look inviting, but then again the whole purpose of the gig was that it wasn't too obvious.

“Are you sure nerd?”, Rafael scoffed and grabbed the other guy's phone.

“Raf.”, Lizzie warned.

“What? He's a nerd. I can call him that. It's basically like a middle name for him. Completely valid for me to say that.”

“His name is MG, so please wrap your jock brain around that.”, the blonde fired back. She was fed up with her boyfriend's rude behavior.

“What did you just say?”, Rafael raised his voice.

Josie and Hope shot each other a look. If he were to take a step towards Lizzie they would intervene.

But MG preempted them: “Actually MG is just my nickname. Milton Greasley you know.”

That threw Rafael off and the topic was dropped. Lizzie gave him a thankful smile and Hope and Josie exhaled the breath they didn't know they were holding.

Wanting to put the entire thing behind them Hope started to walk down the alley. There was a graffiti sprayed door at the far back.

“Guess this one is it.”, she mumbled and knocked.

A big guy in a cheap suit in his early thirties opened the door, looking each of the college kids over.

“This is an invite only event.”, he stated.

“Ease up Jack, they're with us.”, a confident voice came from behind them.

Josie didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Penelope's voice sent shivers down her spine and when the brunette finally faced her she forgot how to breathe.

The raven haired girl looked stunning. Her strides were purposeful and the outfit, only the barista could pull off, radiated power and authority.

'Fuck me' was the only thought going through Josie's otherwise blank mind.

 

Josie's face expression was worth her dramatic entrance. Penelope winked at her and then turned her attention to Jack.

“Penelope! Landon! It's so good to see you guys.”, the big guy smiled brightly as he gave the two best friends a bear hug.

“You too Jack.”, Landon grinned, “How's the girlfriend doing?”

“It's fiancee now.”, Jack smiled happily.

“Congrats man. You and Cassie were always a perfect match. Can we expect invites to the wedding?”, Penelope asked warmly.

“It wouldn't be right without you guys.”, he said, “Let's do dinner some time so we can catch up. For now you guys better get inside.”

As the group of seven stepped through the door the raven haired girl caught Josie checking her out again.

Falling into step with the brunette she mumbled teasingly: “Like what you see?”

Penelope was sure that she had never seen the taller girl blush this hard. It made her heart skip a beat and wish that it would only be the two of them. Josie looked too hot for her own good and the raven haired girl craved to be closer to her.

“You look alright.”, the brunette replied once she got over her initial shock of being caught staring.

They were a few steps behind the group now.

Biting her lip Penelope opened the staff only door that she knew was never locked when Jack worked an 'invite only event' and pulled Josie inside. Shutting the door she pinned the brunette against it.

“Fuck.”, Josie moaned, head falling back against the door. 

The moan did things to the barista, but she controlled herself. Wedging a thigh between the brunettes legs, she pressed their bodies together. Josie put her arms around Penelope's neck, while the raven haired girl placed her hands on the taller girl's waist. Her thump caressing the exposed skin below the cropped sweater.

“You're quite breathless for someone who only thinks I look alright.”, Penelope whispered in her ear, thrilled by the shiver than ran through Josie's body.

Instead of answering Josie smashed their lips together in a heated kiss. Both of them inhaled sharply, heat washing over them by finally tasting the other one's lips again.

Penelope didn't even know who deepened the kiss, but she honestly didn't care. Josie roughly pulled her blouse out from under her jeans, sneaking her hand beneath her shirt and pulling her impossibly closer. Her fingers scratched over her naked skin on her back and Penelope couldn't hold back the moan that escaped her throat.

They never broke the kiss as the raven haired girl tried to guide them towards the table. They were tumbling more than walking, but eventually the two girls reached their destination.

Josie sat down on the table and immediately wrapped her legs around the barista's waist. Both their hearts were beating rapidly and they felt dizzy.

Penelope started to place open mouthed kisses down the brunette's jawline to her collar bone, driving the taller girl wild. Josie pressed her hips into her body.

“Penelope.”, a plea left her parted lips.

The raven haired girl's knees almost gave out under her. It was the sexiest thing she had ever heard and she wanted to take her right now on the table.

But the rational part of her brain, which was rather tiny at the moment, reminded her that they had already been gone for too long for the other to not get suspicious. They didn't need to be walked in on.

Still Penelope started to pull down the color of Josie's sweater, revealing more of her skin. She explored the newly exposed area, taking notice where the brunette had her soft spots.

Just as she was kissing the skin an inch over her left breast Josie started to squirm. Pushing her core into her body as hard as she could. Moving in synch with the college girl Penelope started to slightly bite and suck on the spot, running her tongue over it soothingly.

When she was sure that she left a mark, the barista connected their lips again. Slowing their pace down and turning the needy and hot kisses in soft and passionate ones.

With one last peck Penelope said with a raspy voice: “To be continued? We can't stay MIA for much longer.”

Not trusting her voice Josie only nodded. Her eyes were still dark. Looking down where Penelope's hand was still holding onto her sweater she saw the hickey the raven haired girl left there. Raising an eye brow she looked at the barista.

But Penelope only smirked and let go, successfully covering up the mark she left.

When the two of them reunited with the group Landon was wiggling his eye brows, while the rest didn't even acknowledge their presence. They seemed to be in a heated discussion over wether or not Halsey's first album was the best and could never be surpassed or not.

Penelope took the time to look around. The room wasn't huge, but it could comfortably fit a hundred people. A bar was located on the opposite end of the small stage. The barkeeper was busy making all the drinks his customers ordered.

The barista guessed that almost everyone had arrived. The atmosphere was incredible. Excitement and anticipation filled the air and made the raven haired girl smile.

Her smile immediately vanished though when she heard a familiar voice: “P, what an odd coincidence to see you here.”

“Ivy. I didn't know you were still in the area.”, Penelope greeted her ex girlfriend.

She could feel how Josie tensed up and the conversation died down. Even though the group hadn't met Ivy yet, the barista was sure that Lizzie and Hope knew exactly who she was.

“I thought I'd stick around.”, Ivy smiled.

“Well I don't know if all your money is blinding you, but it's obvious that you're not welcomed here.”, Lizzie snapped, making Ivy's eyes go wide in surprise.

Penelope actually had to hold her laughter in. The blonde really knew how to shut someone up.

“I don't believe we've met. Ivy Perrin.”, she introduced herself, still struggling for full composure.

“Lizzie Saltzman.”, Josie's twin gave her a fake smile, “Now that those pleasantries are out of the way, how about you kindly excuse yourself and walk away?”

Before her ex girlfriend could come up with a response, Penelope looped her arm through hers: “How about you and I take a walk.”

Ivy's angry grimace turned into a smug one: “Sure. We could use some alone time.”

Penelope was sure that she saw Josie almost lunging at the other brunette, but Hope and Lizzie put a calming hand on her arm. Landon and the other two guys stood awkwardly a few steps behind.

As soon as they were out of earshot she hissed: “What the hell do you think you're doing? If this is about what I did at the gala I'm sorry but you had it coming. You can't force yourself into my life again.”

“You and I had something good P. I just want you to remember that. Plus now that you're getting more involved in the business I thought that you and I should try to rekindle our spark again.”

“We're over and just because I agreed on being more involved in the Park business doesn't mean you can just show up when I try to live my life.”

“Your life? Your life is back home, not here. Not with them.”, Ivy pressed.

“Stop trying to lecture me. My parents already do that.”, Penelope warned with a low and threatening voice, “Mind your own business. You don't meddle with my life and I promise you I will try to be friendly with you whenever we are in our world. Can't have you running to your parents and complaining about me.”

Ivy smiled. With sparks in her eyes she stepped closer to the raven haired girl. They were about the same height and the suggestive brown orbs of her ex girlfriend bored into her green ones.

“You promise? Do you remember how we used to seal our deals?”, her ex whispered as she leaned in, never breaking her teasing eye contact with the barista.

She wanted to push her away, but she knew that if she continued to anger Ivy her parents would make her life considerably more difficult.

“Of course I do. We sealed it with a kiss.”, she said, making Ivy's smile go wider.

But instead of really kissing her like she used to, Penelope places a kiss to her ex's cheek.

“Now please go.”

Obviously disappointed Ivy straightened herself. “See you around P.”

Shaking her head and taking in a deep breath Penelope looked back to the group. Everyone was busy chatting. Only Josie was looking straight at her. Jealousy burning in her eyes.

 

Josie was sure that her blood had just turned into fire. Penelope had had the audacity to kiss her ex girlfriend on the cheek in front of her. Well not really in front of her, but in the same room. Even though the brunette was sure that there was a logical explanation for this and the barista had no desire to get back with the viper she was furious.

The college girl wasn't even aware that she was stomping towards Penelope until the latter placed her hands at her hips, stopping her from crashing into her.

“What was that about?”, she hissed.

“She's gone, that's all that matters.”, Penelope replied.

“Not really. For all I know she's going to meet you out back to make out.”, Josie muttered pissed. She knew that she was being ridiculous now, but nothing about her behavior was rational at the moment.

To her surprise Penelope's eyes softened. The brunette had expected her to snap back at her, but all she could find in her green orbs was affection.

“The only person I want to kiss is you Jojo.”

And with those words all her jealous vanished. Replaced by utter joy and a dopey smile.

“Now can we go back to the others and enjoy the music?”, Penelope smiled back at her.

“Yes please.”

 

The gig was amazing. Halsey had an incredible stage presence and her voice was even better than it sounded on the radio. She interacted with the crowed and even stayed for a while afterwards so she had the chance to talk to some of her fans. Everyone felt special and connected. It was truly a special night for everyone in the room.

Over the course of the gig Josie had never left Penelope's side. It was like she was drawn to her and she didn't mind. The barista was intoxicating and Josie was not ready to leave her high.

Handholding and lingering touches were exchanged and sometimes the brunette even leaned in close and sung the lyrics of the song just for Penelope.

Still giddy with excitement the group of seven made their way outside. The night air was cool and the brightly shining half moon illuminated the otherwise barely lit alley. 

They stayed close to each other, trying not to loose anyone in the crowd of all the people who were heading home now as well.

Suddenly she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Confused Josie turned around and was face to face with a tall and handsome guy. He was muscular, but lean, and his sparkling blue eyes were looking straight into hers.

“Hey I'm Noah.”, he introduced himself.

“Hey.”, she replied, still unsure what the guy was trying to achieve.

“I don't usually do this, but I saw you and your friends and I was wondering if you guys were from around here.”, he continued, smile never wavering.

“No, we go to college a couple of hours drive away.”

“Nice. I thought you went to college. My friends and I are throwing a party tomorrow and since your taste in music is obviously good I thought you could stop by? Get to know each other a little better”, Noah suggested.

Josie knew what he meant with getting to know each other better. He was hitting on her. Noah had all his attention on her and not her friends.

“The huge one in the park that is almost like a festival?”, Rafael asked curious.

“That's the one. So what do you say?”, Noah smirked.

“Jo this is huge.”, Raf whispered in her ear, “If we go to that party everyone is going to be so jealous.”

His words triggered something inside her. Putting on her sweet smile, she ran her fingers up his forearm, settling on his elbow.

“We would love to. Just text me the address and the time.”

Grinning victoriously Noah pulled out his phone and handed it to the tall brunette. Josie quickly typed in her name and number and gave him his phone back.

Glancing down Noah winked at her: “See you guys tomorrow. I'm looking forward to spending some time with you Josie.”

Sending him one last smile the brunette turned back around to her friends. MG, Rafael, Lizzie and Hope seemed keen about the prospect of the party. But Josie's heart dropped when her eyes met Penelope's.

The raven haired girl's eyes were hard and by the way she pursed her lips it looked like she was accepting something bad that she had already been expecting. There was clear disappointment written over her beautiful features.

Josie wanted to open her mouth and say something, but there was nothing she could say. Going to the party was important for her reputation. Flirting with Noah was her popular persona being friendly. It was business.

Not able to look at Penelope anymore she locked eyes with her sister. Her twin usually made her feel better.

To her surprise Lizzie was looking at her in shock. Her blue eyes darted from Josie to Penelope and back again. Wheels turning until realization struck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst is coming... How do you all feel about Ivy being back and Noah? Josie sure is still fighting her feelings and well Lizzie knows now! And how do you think will Penelope be now that her worries have been validated?
> 
> my twitter if anyone feels the need to yell at me: @1penelopepark


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm currently always on the road I hope the writing in this one isn't too far off point... Hope you guys enjoy this one!

Josie knew that Lizzie was going to corner her sooner or later to confront her about what she just figured out. The brunette thought it was going to be at their dorm room once they got back, but once again her blonde twin surprised her.

Taking the lead, Lizzie dragged her sister with her, the rest a few steps out of ear shot behind them.

“Were you ever going to tell me that you and Penelope are already participating in making out with each other?”, her twin whisper-yelled.

“No...?”

“You're not even denying it.”, Lizzie shook her head in disbelief, “Why would you keep that a secret? And why on earth did you just flirt with his Noah guy when you're clearly interested in Penelope?”

The college girl knew that all of Lizzie's questions were valid. Hell she would have asked them too if their roles were revered. But they weren't. So instead of being the one interrogating, Josie was the one on the stand. And she didn't like it one bit. If she were ready to talk about it, she would have approached her sister, or Hope or even her mother. But she wasn't.

“Can we not do this now?”, Josie asked, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

“Will we do it later? Because knowing you and how you've been acting ever since you've gotten close with Penelope I highly doubt that you're going to be up for that conversation later on.”, Lizzie remarked with a scowl on her face.

It was clear to see that her twin was upset. She just didn't know why the blonde was so invested in the entire thing.

“At least we won't have an audience.”, the brunette rolled her eyes.

“That audience didn't stop you from acting like a jerk just minutes ago.”

“Lizzie. Please, just drop this for now. You can still corner me later when we're back at our place.”, Josie groaned. It annoyed her to no end that Lizzie wouldn't leave it alone.

“Fine. But I will not let you run away from this.”

 

Lizzie and Josie were a few steps ahead of Landon and Penelope. Rafael was texting some of his jock friends, while MG and Hope had started talking about one of their classes.

Penelope was hurt. She didn't want to be, but she was. Josie had flirted with the guy despite everything that was happening between the two of them. But then again it had been something the barista had expected of her. The raven haired girl had already worried about Josie not being ready to have something real and serious. Still it had been a disappointment to see her like this again. She tried to remind herself that they hadn't even had the talk of what they were to each other. However that didn't stop the pain that was starting to make itself known.

“You okay P?”, Landon asked her softly.

“I'm fine. It's not like I was surprised.”, Penelope replied, not able to hide the bitterness in her voice.

“What are you going to do now?”, her best friend questioned cautiously. He was well aware how she could shut down after being hurt.

“I honestly don't know.”, she sighed, “I need time to figure that out.”

Landon nodded, knowing not to press any further. Penelope always reflected best on her own. She'd probably find a quiet spot were she could be alone with her thoughts and think everything through. The raven haired girl had always been very honest with herself. She knew who she was and what was good for her. Landon knew that his best friend would eventually be okay. Still it angered him that Josie had fallen into her old patterns so easily.

When they reached the van of the college kids Penelope's heart accelerated. Josie and her had to somehow part ways now and she had no idea how to act. The disappointment and the hurt still loomed over her like a dark cloud and made her heart pound heavier.

Surprisingly Lizzie walked over to her with a smile, hugging her tight.

“Please come with us to the party tomorrow. Who knows what will happen. Whatever does will make everything clearer, you know.”

Penelope could hear the hesitance in her voice. The blonde obviously didn't know if she should be talking to her about it. However judging from the taller girl's reaction earlier, she didn't agree with what Josie was doing. Lizzie was sincere and Penelope appreciated that. Plus the girl was right. One act of old Josie didn't mean that it was going to be like that every time in the future. Noah had come unexpectedly and the brunette had acted on instinct. She couldn't judge her on this alone.

“Alright.”, she agreed.

“Really?”, letting her go her blue eyes went wide, “I mean, that's great! I'll see you tomorrow then.”

Josie's head shot up from that. She had been awkwardly standing a few steps behind her sister, looking at the ground as if there was something immensely interesting. There was hope in her eyes. As well as something that resembled panic a lot.

Everyone went on about saying goodbye to the two best friends. Penelope knew that Josie and her would be the last ones to go, still she wasn't prepared when the brunette tentatively walked towards her. Her hesitance and insecurity showed that she knew that she had fucked up earlier.

Despite being the one who got hurt, Penelope decided to be the bigger person. Taking a deep breath she gave the taller girl a small smile. It wasn't fake. Of course she still liked the girl and she wasn't the kind of person to make things harder than they already were. She didn't want drama or the awkwardness that came with being unsure of how to act around each other.

“So we're going to a party tomorrow?”, Penelope broke the ice, genuineness in her eyes.

“Listen”, Josie began, but the barista just waved her hand.

“Let's not do this right now. We can talk tomorrow.”

“Okay.”, Josie said and stepped closer to the raven haired girl, pulling her in for a long hug.

The brunette seemed like she never wanted to let her go and even though Penelope was still angry with the taller girl, her barriers broke down and a familiar warmth that always came with the closeness of the college girl spread through her. So she hugged her back just as tightly.

Shortly before the two girls let go of each other, Josie pressed a kiss to Penelope's cheek. It was delicate, yet held so many strong emotions.

“See you tomorrow.”, the brunette smiled weakly and got in the car with everybody else.

As Rafael started the engine, Landon and Penelope made their way towards their car. They were both silent. No words needed to be spoken for each of them to know how the other one felt. Penelope knew that Landon was trying not to bring up the Josie topic again, while he knew that she didn't want to talk about it.

Naturally the walk to their ride was silent. Though as soon as Landon turned the music on, the heavy silence was broken. Penelope was tapping her fingers rhythmically against the steering wheel while Landon sang along.

One of the best things about their friendship was that they knew each other inside out. Every time when someone was down the other one knew how to make the other feel better. Sometimes only their presence would suffice, other times it had to be music or a spontaneous adventure.

Driving with Landon and music in the car was enough for Penelope to put Josie aside in her mind. Being behind the wheel always calmed her down, it gave her something to focus on while Landon gave her a calm no one else could and the music ignited a spark of happiness inside of her. Soon her troubles were at the back of her mind and she was laughing about the things Landon said.

When they arrived at their place, Penelope said good night and retired to her room. The windows let in the moonlight, illuminating the otherwise dark space. Her room was tinged in a strange blue that made her smile. Penelope loved how nature sometimes created these colors that were so unique. It reminded her of paintings, or any work of art really, that had this spark that no one could ever recreate, no matter how hard they tried.

Just as she was about to change and go to bed her phone rang. Frowning she glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was her father.

“Hello.”, she answered.

“Penelope. I had a feeling you were still awake.”, the deep and full voice of her dad came from the other end.

“How can I help you?”, the raven haired girl questioned. 

Usually her mother was the one to call her, her dad only in the background sometimes. Whenever he called she knew that it was something of importance. Her father was the more charming one. Business deals and schmoozing were his expertise, while her mother sprung into action when it came to cutting to the chase. She was the tough one who made sure that people agreed to their terms even if they didn't want to. Persuasion was her father's strong suit. So whatever it was he was calling about apparently needed more finesse. The main thing her parents had in common though was that they were both cut-throat in their own way.

“We have a proposition for you. You don't need to accept our offer, but we believe that it would be mutually beneficial. It would help our company greatly and it could be of help with your writing.”, her father's voice was soft but authoritative.

“I'm listening.”, Penelope answered, only a little bit curious about what he had to say. Often 'mutual beneficial' proposals ended up only being good for the Park business.

But as her dad went on about their offer the raven haired barista got more and more intrigued. For the first time it was not just some event or business meeting they wanted her to attend. Her parents wanted her to really step up and the possibilities she saw for herself were just as big.

“So what do you say?”, her father asked her, genuinely curious if she would accept. Penelope knew that agreeing would make her parents proud and the deal truly was good for her too.

“Can you give me the weekend to think about it? You'll have my answer by Monday morning or earlier.”, the barista said thoughtful.

“Take your time. I'm looking forward to be hearing from you.”, her dad said and after a short break of contemplation he added, “Good night.”

When the call was disconnected Penelope sat on her bed with her mouth agape. Her dad had wished her a good night for the first time in ages. She was aware that it was most likely one of his tactics to persuade her to say yes, but she couldn't help but smile fondly at no one in particular. Affection coming from her parents was rare, so she was going to take whatever she could get.

 

Lizzie was the last one to walk through the door. Slamming it with a bang that surely woke up everyone on their entire floor.

“Whoa you okay there Lizzie? You developing some kind of super strength?”, Hope asked her shocked.

Instead of replying to Hope, the blonde looked at her twin pointedly. “You want to fill her in or do I have to?”

“Jesus, you're being dramatic Lizzie. There is nothing to talk about.”, Josie said, glaring at her sister warningly.

“Oh so you making out with Penelope is nothing?”, she dropped the bomb nonchalant.

“What?!”, Hope exclaimed with wide eyes, completely unprepared for the news.

Josie rolled her eyes. Of course her sister would fill Hope in immediately. Still she had hoped that Lizzie would keep it quiet and only talk to her about it. She didn't want to be confronted by two of the people she loved and valued most and now that was inevitable.

“What about it.”, the brunette sighed dismissively as she plopped down on her bed.

“What about it?!”, the two girls yelled simultaneously. Both of them not able to cope with Josie's childish behavior.

“You finally get your girl and then you just flirt with this random guy? I can't even imagine how Penelope must have felt back there.”, Hope shook her head in disbelieve.

“I know right. But our little Jo here is being a coward.”, Lizzie chimed in with an accusing glare.

“You're both overreacting. Penelope and I are not together. People kiss. There's nothing special about it.”, the brunette tried to argue.

“Nothing special? You've been wanting to kiss that girl ever since you saw her for the first time. Josie you tried to win her over. That's something you never do. Plus you get shy and flustered around her. You opened up to her. How is anything about this not special?”, Hope questioned her.

Of course she was right. Josie couldn't argue with that. But that didn't mean that she wanted to admit it.

“Listen Jo”, Lizzie started, “Penelope is going to be at the party tomorrow night. She agreed to that because she is willing to give you another shot. Somehow she still cares about whatever you two have. Despite of how you've been acting most of the time. Someone like her doesn't come along very often. Not even your scared ass can think of running away from that.”

This was the second time her sister called her a coward and it was starting to piss Josie off. Sure it wasn't brave to be the popular girl again, but that didn't mean that she was some scared little girl.

“I'm not ready for something serious. Why can't we just drop it?”

“Well at least you're admitting that it's something serious.”, the blonde scoffed, while Hope's eyes softened.

“Josie you wanted this for months now, why are you throwing it away over some random guy?”, the small brunette asked her sincerely.

“My plan was to make out with her at some parties and then go back to my normal life again. It was never supposed to be like this...”, Josie trailed off, feeling frustrated now.

“Like what?”

“I wasn't supposed to feel so much whenever I'm with her. She makes me nervous in the good way. Just one smile from her and I'm happy. One near touch and I'm on fire. One kiss and I forget everything around me. I feel like I can be me when I'm around her, like she'll catch me no matter what.”, Josie released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

“Then what is the problem Josie?”, Lizzie asked.

“What if I fall for her and she won't be there to catch me at one point? I can't have that. I can't develop any more feelings because she'll be in control over wether I'm happy or devastated. I rather keep the life I have now. It's good. I'm not going to mess that up.”

“It's already messed up.”, Lizzie said matter of factly, “And you're lying to yourself if you claim to not have fallen for her already. What you have with Penelope is what everybody wants. You made me realize that Raf and I are not the real thing. And if I'm being honest the real thing is the only thing anyone should pursue. Why settle for something good if you can have great?”

“Exactly. It doesn't matter that there is a possibility that you could get hurt, because the possibility of being truly happy is worth so much more.”, Hope agreed.

“I need time.”, she pressed, her voice unsteady.

Josie was frustrated and felt lost. She knew that Hope and Lizzie were right. But that didn't make it any easier for her. She couldn't just change and be fearless because she wanted to. Maybe her twin was right and she was scared. She was scared to lose everything she knew. Of course she wanted Penelope. But her feelings for her were overwhelming. It made it hard to breathe for her and she just wanted to pause everything. There was too much going on at once and Josie just wanted a break.

“Then tell her that. Talk to her and be honest about how you feel.”, Lizzie urged her, “Because I have a feeling Penelope is not the kind of person to go along with your bullshit.”

The brunette knew that the barista wasn't that kind of person and it just added to the pressure she was already feeling inside. However Lizzie was right. If she wanted to have any chance with the raven haired girl she need to talk to her open and honestly.

“I will.”, she mumbled exhausted.

 

Penelope hadn't gotten much sleep last night. She had been tossing and turning. Thinking about her parent's proposal as well as about Josie until she came to the conclusion that everything would be decided at the party. She would give the beautiful brunette a chance to talk to her and then she would make up her mind about what her parents had suggested.

Landon and her had no work today so it was up to them how to spend the day. Her best friend had offered to do whatever she wanted, but since it was the weekend Penelope had told him to go on a date with Hope.

“Are you sure P? I love binge watching tv shows with you.”, Landon asked her, torn between his best friend and Hope.

“Yes I'm sure. You two need some quality time again. Make her feel special and have fun Landon. You deserve to be happy just as much as I do, so please go and enjoy your time with Hope.”, Penelope smiled at him.

“But if there's anything you need, just call me okay?”, he made sure.

“Landon I'm not dying. I'm completely fine on my own and it's not like Josie and I have talked about it yet.”, the barista assured him honestly.

“Alright. I love you P!”, Landon smiled happily and skipped out the door after hugging her quickly.

Chuckling Penelope went back to her room. She was exhausted from her lack of sleep and it wasn't like she was going to get a lot of sleep tonight. So the barista fell back onto her bed and closed her eyes. It wasn't soon after that she fell asleep.

 

She was woken by Landon, who was shaking her softly.

“Wake up P. We need to get ready for the party. You've been sleeping all day.”

Groaning Penelope sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She had been out cold which wasn't surprising after having been awake for over 24 hours. Her long nap had been good though. The barista felt relatively refreshed and ready to stay up for a couple of hours before heading back to bed again.

She wasn't in the mood to go to some college party, she just wanted to curl up in her bed and catch some more sleep. But then she wouldn't have the chance to talk to Josie.

Sucking it up Penelope threw the covers to the side and jumped out of her bed. Life was not going to live itself on its own.

“So tell me about your date with Hope.”, she asked her best friend while scanning her closet for something to wear.

“It was amazing!”, Landon started with a happy grin, “I took her to an art gallery not far from here. She loves art so I thought that she might like that. It's a rather unknown artist, but I stumbled across his flyers a couple of days ago and he has a certain something. Hope loved it as well and we spend hours talking and philosophizing about what we thought he meant and how his art makes us feel. What it essentially means to us you know? The way her mind works is beautiful and how connected she is with her heart just baffles me. Then we got some tacos at a food truck down the street and ended up at a skater park where it was actually allowed to paint the walls around. And let me tell you P, that girl is so talented! The more I get to know her the more she amazes me.”

Landon lit up whenever he talked about the brunette. It made Penelope smile to see him like this. His life hadn't been easy and he had never really gotten lucky with the ladies. But now with Hope he seemed to have found something special.

“I'm happy for you Landon. You truly deserve to have someone as great as Hope by your side.”, Penelope smiled at him.

“Thanks. I'm falling for her and I think that she likes me too.”, he grinned, still over the moon.

“Let me tell you something. She smiles whenever you walk into a room and the way you two interact is just the cutest.”

“You really think so? I can't wait to see where the road will lead us. I definitely can't wait to see her again.”

“Well you'll see her tonight so get changed and impress your girl.”, Penelope chuckled and Landon left her room, smiling like an idiot.

The raven haired girl wished she could be excited for tonight. Chances were high that Josie and her would talk. But Penelope had a bad feeling. Sadly for her her instincts were almost never wrong and that made her dread the conversation.

Shaking er head to get rid of her thoughts the barista threw on some random jeans with a flowy red top. She wasn't dressed to impress, but she still looked good. Better than she was feeling on the inside anyways.

 

“You should take it slow.”, Lizzie commented as Josie opened another cider.

The brunette was already buzzed and they had yet to get in the car to go to the party. She was well aware that what she was doing was probably a bad idea. However she couldn't help it. Nerves were running through her and she just wanted to take the edge off. Alcohol probably wasn't the solution and was bound to make it worse in the end, but Josie didn't care.

“It's a party Liz.”, she scoffed.

“Well we're not even at the actual party so how about you give me that and we get going.”, Lizzie argued a little worried.

With a challenging grin Josie started to down the bottle at once. When she was done her sister and Hope just shook their heads.

“Can we go now? Before you continue with this crap?”, Hope sighed.

“Sure. Let's go.”, the brunette agreed and stood up, a bit uneasy on her feet. But then again she just stood up, she was still far away from being drunk.

 

The four of them arrived at the park. MG had decided to stay at home and Lizzie had yet to break up with her boyfriend. The blonde had told them her decision as they were getting ready. But she felt like dumping him right before going to the same party, she knew how much Rafael wanted to go after all, would be a jerk move.

There were hundreds of people. Some were playing drinking games, others were dancing and there was even an area where you could paint your body with neon colors that glowed like stars in the dark.

A small stage was located in the middle of the crowd, illuminated by stage lights and laser beams that cut through the masses of people. It truly was an incredible event. No wonder Rafael had wanted to go so badly.

“This is amazing!”, Lizzie's boyfriend exclaimed as he opened another beer. Hope was their designated driver so they could all go crazy.

“It is! I'm so glad Noah invited us.”, Josie grinned.

Lizzie rolled her eyes so hard that Josie was almost scared for her that they were gonna stay like that.

But before the brunette could say anything she heard a voice behind her: “I'm glad to hear you say that Josie.”

Noah was grinning at her. His blue eyes sparkled in the lights and his button up was open, revealing his muscles. He had all different kinds of colors painted on his skin.

“I didn't know that there was going to be a human disco ball.”, Lizzie muttered under her breath and Hope had to suppress her laughter.

Simply ignoring the blonde's comment he stepped closer to Josie. “Can I get you a drink? And if you want we could get you a neon tattoo.”

Josie smiled. Noah was charming and she was glad he didn't pay her twin's remark any mind. She didn't understand why Lizzie had to be so rude to him. It was not like he knew about Penelope and her. He was interested in her and showed it. That's something the brunette had always liked.

“I've always wanted to get a tattoo.”, Josie smiled, sending a glare towards Lizzie, as she followed Noah into the crowd.

It was loud and people were constantly bumping into her. But the tall college guy shielded her from the worst. It wasn't like Josie liked to feel protected, she could stand up for herself, but then again she guessed that he wanted to make her more comfortable, which she appreciated.

“So your blonde friend doesn't like me very much.”, Noah said as he handed her a vodka mix.

“She's my sister actually. And I'm sorry about that. Lizzie can be like that sometimes so don't worry about it.”, she replied as she took a sip. It wasn't too strong so she eagerly took another one.

“Well I'm happy that you don't agree with her opinion on my new look.”, he grinned as he lead her to the painting area.

The guy who seemed to be handing out the majority of the pain approached the two of them.

“Noah! Is this the girl you were talking about?”, he greeted them enthusiastically.

“Yes. Can you work your magic and tat her up?”

“Sure thing.”, he grinned and looking at Josie he added, “And between you and me. He didn't do you justice. You're even prettier than he said that you were.”

“Are you saying that I should dump him for you? I mean I do want someone who appreciates my beauty.”, the brunette winked at the guy.

It was so easy to be flirty. It was almost like second nature to her. She knew that it was cringy to say stuff like that, but somehow it always worked in her favor.

“Maybe you should.”, the guy laughed and Noah pushed him playfully.

“Stay on topic here dude.”

Putting his hands up in surrender, he grinned and turned his attention back to Josie. “So what do you want?”

Thinking briefly she replied: “How about some warrior stripes on my cheeks and then a floral pattern on my left arm? You think you can do that?”

“Sure thing!”

As he got his paints ready, Noah sipped his drink. He was nice, she reminded herself. But he wasn't Penelope. He couldn't hold her attention and the crowd surrounding them was more exciting than her conversation with him.

Josie was glad she decided to get warrior stripes. Talking with Penelope would be tough and she needed all the support she could get. Even if that support was in form of neon stripes across her face.

 

“This is insane.”, Landon said in awe as they got out of the car, already having a clear view on the party.

“Yeah.”, Penelope agreed, even though she wasn't that impressed, “Can you text Hope and ask them where they are? I don't think we're going to find them on our own.”

Nodding her best friend send the message and soon after he got the reply.

“Follow me.”, he grinned and started to marsh towards the park, dodging everyone who got in their way until they were with the group.

As Penelope greeted everyone she furrowed her eye brow. “Where's Josie?”

“With Noah.”, Lizzie filled her in with a scoff. 

The blonde seemed to be pissed off by her twin and honestly Penelope was too. She only went to the party because she wanted to give Josie another shot and then the brunette just immediately disappeared with the guy who had flirted with her the day before.

“I'm going to go. I'm sure you can catch a ride with Hope.”, the raven haired girl stated, fed up with all the bullshit. She didn't even want to go to the stupid party in the first place and then the only reason she went, Josie, disappeared before she even arrived.

“No wait!”, Lizzie stoped her mid-motion of turning around, “Let's get one drink.”

Giving her a questioning look the barista searched for Landon who just shrugged. He was stumped for an answer.

“Alright.”, she agreed as Lizzie started to drag her away from the crowd and to the provisory bar.

“Why do you care so much?”, Penelope asked the tall blonde girl.

She was honestly curious about it. Lizzie and her had never really bonded over anything, or even interacted much altogether. Still the girl seemed to be hell-bend to get her and Josie closer together.

“Josie can be stupid sometimes. I'm just being a good sister by looking out for her.”

“She's her own person though. You can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do.”, Penelope argued.

“Oh believe me she wants to do you.”, Lizzie assured her.

When Penelope started to laugh, the blonde's eyes went wide and she started to ramble: “That's not what I meant! I mean I'm not saying she doesn't want to do you, but ugh! You know what I mean!”

Lizzie's rant was hilarious and didn't help the barista to calm down. She laughed even harder.

When she calmed down again she ordered two drinks and handed Lizzie one. “Yeah I know what you meant. But listen, you can be right all you want. What's important is that Josie tells me what it is we're doing. This is between her and me. And as much as you want to help her out and mend the things she messes up, she's the only one who can.”

The taller girl sighed: “She wasn't kidding when she told me that you're smart.”

“Well thank you.”, Penelope smiled, “But be careful, I might think you're also into me if you continue like this.”

Lizzie gaped at her.

“Your face.”, the barista broke out in another fit of laughter.

“I changed my mind. I don't like you.”, Lizzie scoffed, but the playful spark in her eyes betrayed her.

It was a pleasant surprise for Penelope to see how well she got along with the blonde. The first time she had met her Lizzie hadn't really left an impression. Sure she had been nice, but besides that there was nothing the raven haired girl could recall. Ever since the concert though Lizzie seemed to be more at peace with herself. She was comfortable and not afraid to speak her mind. It was almost like she was starting to embrace herself.

Just as she was about to say something, the blonde went quiet. Penelope followed her stare until her eyes landed on Josie. The brunette was holding a red cup in on hand, while the other arm was draped around Noah's neck. The two were dancing closely and Penelope was close enough to see that the college girl was so drunk that she actually needed the support of the guy.

Penelope's heart dropped. This was exactly what she had feared. She felt stupid for ever having a tiny spark of hope that the brunette was more than she had initially shown her.

Josie was facing them, but it seemed like she hadn't spotted them yet. Penelope watched in horror as Noah inched closer and closer to the college girl.

 

As his face came closer and closer to hers, Josie started to get uncomfortable. She was drunk so everything was blurry, but his intentions were clear. She couldn't blame him, all she had been doing was send him signals that she was also interested in him. But she wasn't. Not at all. All she could think of as Noah got closer was how much she wished that it wasn't him in front of her, but Penelope.

This wasn't right and she knew it. Her brown eyes looked away from his blue ones, falling onto the crowd and meeting familiar green orbs.

Panic shot through her. She knew those eyes. She knew them so well. It were the eyes she saw every time she closed her eyes. The eyes that Josie wished were as close as Noah's now.

As her brain caught up on everything she stumbled back from him.

“Are you okay?”, he asked her concerned. There was worry in his eyes as he tried to understand her sudden movements away from him.

Just as she was about to trip Penelope's arms were around her waist, steadying her. The brunette didn't know how the barista managed to get to her so quickly, but she was glad that she was the one holding her.

“Penelope.”, she whispered relieved.

“Let's get you some water.”, her sister, who had appeared out of smoke, said as she ushered a confused Noah away.

Only able to nod the two girls supported her weight and ordered her a bottle of water at the bar. Josie didn't even remember how she got so drunk. But apparently the drinks she was downing all the time had been a few too many.

“Are you okay?”, Penelope asked her worried, Lizzie settling at the bar a few steps away from them to give them their privacy.

“I think so.”, the brunette mumbled, “When did you get here?”

“About twenty minutes ago. You're pretty out of it already.”, the barista gave her a weak smile.

Even through the alcohol induced blur Josie could see the hurt in the other girl's eyes. She had seen her with Noah and now she felt validated in what she had thought about Josie from the very beginning. Tonight was supposed to be the night where she would talk to Penelope and work things out. But instead of doing that she had fucked it up by getting drunk and almost kissing some random guy that could never compare to the girl in front of her.

“I'm sorry. I am so sorry.”, Josie whispered, a single tear running down her cheek, making the neon paint flow down her face in small rivers.

“It's okay. I got you now. Just drink your water and try to sober up.”, Penelope mumbled, running her fingers soothingly through Josie's brown hair.

The softness and the affection that radiated from her made Josie close her eyes and take deep breaths. She wanted to stay like this forever. With Penelope close to her, embracing her and shielding her from the world. From what was to come.

Gulping down her water the taller girl tried to stop herself from sobbing. The raven haired girl was being so nice. Once again. Even though she had fucked up. Once again.

“I didn't want to kiss him you know.”, she breathed out heavily.

“That's not what it looked like.”

“I'm drunk. I don't want to blame the alcohol but I didn't even register what was happening until it was almost too late.”, Josie tried to argue, tears were burning in her eyes. She knew that her arguments were weak. She didn't even really believe them herself.

“You're right. You can't blame the alcohol.”, Penelope started and her voice dropped when she continued, “You could have stayed with your friends, but you decided to run off with him. That says so much Josie...”

The sadness in her voice broke Josie's heart.

“I'm scared.”, the brunette choked on her tears that were now falling, “I don't want to be, but I am. I like you so much Penelope. More than I have ever liked anyone and I don't know how to handle it. I'm afraid of getting hurt...”

“For real now? You think you're the only one who's afraid to get hurt? Well guess what, you're not. And with your actions you continue to hurt me again and again.”, Penelope exhaled with a pained look on her face.

Taken aback Josie stared at her. Her emotional outburst had come out of the blue. However she knew that it wasn't uncalled for.

“I'm sorry. I need time. I need you to be patient with me.”, Josie cried.

“I have been patient.”, Penelope said with a hoarse voice, tears forming in her green eyes, “But I will not be something half-assed. I won't be your fling. I will not let you walk all over me by dating me while flirting and hooking up with random people.”

The pain in Penelope's eyes matched the one Josie felt in her heart. Her heart was breaking and she was the one responsible for it. Not able to control it anymore the brunette broke down. She was sobbing while the raven haired girl held her, holding back her own tears.

The people and the celebration around them faded away. There was only her and Penelope. And the thought of losing that scared the brunette more than anything. Not having the barista around anymore was worse than losing everything she had.

“Don't make me live without you. Please don't disappeared on me even if you can't be with me in that way.”, Josie choked out between sobs.

Penelope didn't miss a beat as she whispered, sadness lacing her voice: “I won't.”

She took in a shaking breath: “I can change. And maybe one day I can be enough for you.”

At this the barista made her look up at her. Her eyes had gotten even greener and tears were on the verge of falling. Her lips quivered and her shaking hands caressed the brunette's cheeks, smearing the warrior paint. The entire sight of the other girl made Josie's heart ache even more.

“Don't ever think that you're not enough.”, Penelope was looking intently into her chocolate brown eyes, “Just because you're not ready doesn't mean that you're not perfect. You are so beautiful it takes my breath away. And most of all you are enough Jojo. You are perfectly enough.”

The moment those words left the barista's lips Josie broke down completely. After everything Penelope still cared so deeply about her. The brunette's heart ached painfully inside her chest. It was like something was crushing it, dragging out her suffering for as long as possible. And for the first time Josie realized that she was starting to fall in love with the raven haired girl.

But before she could say anything Penelope motioned for Lizzie to come over, handing her the keys to her car.

“Can you take her home? I'll go back with the others. I'm sure they don't want to leave just yet, but Josie should really get some rest.”

“Sure.”, Lizzie nodded and took her sisters arm, helping her up.

Without another word Penelope disappeared, leaving the cheerleader with her twin.

“What happened?”, Lizzie asked compassionately.

Her sister's voice didn't help at all. It rather made things worse. Lizzie had warned her about not drinking too much alcohol, about flirting with people that she wasn't interested in. She had told her to fight for Penelope and to work it out with her. But Josie had ignored everything her twin had told her. She had intentionally ignored her advice and now the worst case scenario had happened.

“I lost her.”, Josie cried quietly.

“Oh I'm so sorry Jo.”, Lizzie hugged her.

Crying harder she nuzzled into her sisters embrace, mumbling: “But she's willing to stick around as my friend. I can still make this right. But I need your help Liz. I can't do it on my own.”

“Always. I'll help you get your girl back. Just promise me to never let her go once you have her back.”

“I promise.”

And Josie meant it. If she were to ever have the chance of being with Penelope again she would go for it. She would work on to becoming a better person and when the time was right she would fight for her. Because nothing could ever amount to the pain she felt right now.

 

With a heavy heart Penelope walked away. Josie wasn't healthy for her. At least not right now. Sure it broke her heart to end something that hadn't even really started, but she had to look out for herself. If she would have went along with the brunette's behavior their bond would have turned into something toxic. Into something that wasn't them. They were special. And sometimes the best way to preserve something special was to lock it away where it couldn't be corrupted.

Being her friend would be hard, but it was the right thing. Though the raven haired girl couldn't see herself being able to go back to being just friends so easily. That would take time. She needed to heal first. Prepare herself for being around the girl she had such deep feelings for.

As soon as she was far away enough from the party to make a call she took a deep breath and pulled her phone out, dialing the number.

“Penelope, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon.”, her father answered the call.

“Well I have good news. I'm in.”, the barista informed him, voice now confident with no trace of the pain that was cursing through her veins.

“That's great! Your mother and I are so proud of you. I'll send you all the flight details as soon as I'm in the office tomorrow.”, her father replied.

“Thanks dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!   
> Angst has started to arrive and is here to stay... for a while at least


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I'm no longer traveling so I'll have more time from now on. This chapter focuses mainly on Penelope since there is a lot of new stuff heading her way
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Penelope was laying in her bed. Landon and her had gotten home over an hour ago, but despite being relatively drunk she wasn't asleep. There was too much going on inside her head. She still couldn't believe that she had actually agreed to her parent's proposal. It had been a heat of the moment decision and even though she still wanted to go through with it, since it was the right thing to do as she told herself over and over again, it was still making her uneasy.

Sitting up the raven haired girl sighed and started to look around, searching for something to distract herself with. It wouldn't do her any good to overthink everything so the best way to shut off her mind was to find something to preoccupy it with.

She still hadn't told Landon about it. Telling her best friend at the party would have been a bad move. Everybody had enjoyed themselves after she had reassured them that Josie was going to be fine.

Ironically Penelope had turned to alcohol as a solution to her current problem of carrying a secret around. But drinking water every once in a while had helped a lot with not over-doing it like the brunette had done.

It was already five in the morning so all she had to do was kill the next three hours before her dad would send her her details. And then she could hopefully fall asleep. Not knowing when she would be leaving was stressing her out. After all she couldn't just pack up her bags and leave without saying goodbye. That would mess up too much.

Frustrated by her situation Penelope stood up and started to pace up and down her room.

“I did the right thing.”, she mumbled determined.

But still the barista couldn't help but feel unsure. Sure Josie wasn't ready, but leaving right after was a bit dramatic wasn't it? However how was she supposed to be around her now? With all her blooming feelings and the tough truth that a relationship wasn't going to happen any time soon. Leaving for a short while was exactly what she needed to do. It was the best for everyone involved after all. Wasn't it?

“Fuck this.”, Penelope cursed quietly and gathered up a note pad and a pen.

Trying not to wake up Landon the barista left their shared apartment. There was no way she would fall asleep any time soon and being cooped up in her room was just adding to her already buzzing nerves. Finding a nice spot was the best thing she could do right now.

Lost in her thoughts Penelope started to wander the streets, not knowing where her feet would be taking her. Not that she cared in that moment.

When the raven haired girl found herself in a familiar spot she almost had to laugh.

“Of course. Where else?”, Penelope shook her head as she stared up the building Josie had taken her to after game night. The night that had changed everything for the barista. The night where she had gotten a glimpse of the real Josie. Of the person she had come to really like.

Carefully Penelope made her way up to the roof top, settling on the ledge overlooking the street. The same spot she had sat down with the brunette.

There were no people and no cars. The street was completely abandoned and it almost felt like the raven haired girl was the only one who survived a zombie apocalypse.

Penelope felt alone, but not lonely. The quiet and the emptiness calmed her. There was something about the lack of busyness that she enjoyed. Like it gave her room for her thoughts. Space for all the mess she had going on inside of her.

The barista let the coolness of the air and the quietness seep in.

Leaving is something I have to do  
And somehow  
It's still something I did for you too  
So you have the time  
The space you need  
To think things through

Even though I want you close  
This is what I chose  
I don't have to add to the mess  
We currently find ourselves in

So I found a way  
To give you and me a chance  
At something real  
At something that isn't bound to collapse

And perhaps when I return  
We won't crash and burn  
But thrive  
Because then the time might be right

It wasn't a literary masterpiece. However Penelope smiled down on her scribbled words. They represented her situation well. And for the first time the raven haired girl realized that whilst she made the decision to leave because she didn't want to get hurt even more, it was also good for Josie. 

Though the brunette would probably not see it that way, Penelope knew that hopping on a flight out of the country was even more beneficial for the college girl. However hard being around her would have been for the barista, Josie would have struggled even more.

With that thought in mind and a bittersweet feeling in her heart the raven haired girl walked home with a sad smile on her face.

 

The next morning Penelope was easily woken up by a message. Her sleep hadn't been deep, too anxious about when her departure would be.

Hurriedly she got up and grabbed her phone not even feeling the effect of having only a little over an hour of sleep and immediately opening the e-mail she had gotten from her dad.

Once she had read it she jumped out of her bed. She had to tell Landon.

Unsurprisingly her best friend was still sleeping, but in that moment Penelope didn't really care about his beauty sleep. The urgency of her news had top priority. Landon would probably agree on that after hearing them.

As expected the guy wasn't thrilled when the barista shook him awake.

“P what the hell?”, he groaned, still half asleep.

“I didn't want to tell you yesterday because I didn't have all the details and we were at a party and this would have been a party-mood-killer, but now I have all the information and this just simply cannot wait.”, Penelope started to ramble rapidly.

“Slow down. I just woke up. What information on what?”

“My parents made me a proposal and last night I accepted it. I'm going on a business trip to Asia for a week or so. And I'm leaving tomorrow.”

Landon was looking at her as if she had just told him that there had been an alien inversion last night.

After a couple of moments of stunned silence he finally managed to reply: “Asia? P what the hell? Since when do you get involved in the family business? I thought you hated that and now you're jetting through Asia on your parents behalf?”

“I can see how all of this is a bit out of the blue for you. But it'll make sense once I fill you in on all the details.”, Penelope promised her best friend.

As the raven haired girl explained everything to Landon, his face displayed all kinds of emotions. It went from surprise, to anger, to compassion and then to understanding.

“I get it.”, he started, “You need to do this. But that doesn't mean that I won't miss you even though it'll be just a week. I expect you to send me photos and updates on everything that is going on. I might not be able to be there with you and go on crazy spontaneous adventures, but that doesn't mean I don't want to be as much of a part of it as I can be.”

“You're the best.”, Penelope smiled and pulled Landon in for a hug.

“What are you going to do about Josie? Are you going to say goodbye to her?”

 

Josie woke up with a massive headache. Her mouth tasted like a rat crawled up there and died and her stomach was certainly not happy with the amount of alcohol she had consumed the previous night.

Groaning the brunette rolled to her side. Water would be great right now, but Josie didn't feel ready to get up just yet. Her stomach was too upset for her too move around too much.

“How are you feeling sis?”, Lizzie's voice asked annoyingly loud and chipper.

Instead of answering she opted for pulling her blanked above her head. But to her dismay her twin just yanked it right off.

“Here.”, the blonde handed her a bottle of water, which she gratefully accepted.

“Do you remember last night?”, her sister wouldn't stop talking.

Gulping down her water the college girl tried to think. Her memories were blurry, not surprising since she was feeling like shit. Still it wasn't only her body that was upset about last night, her heart somehow felt heavy. And then it clicked.

“Fuck.”, Josie whispered.

“Great so you do remember almost playing tongue twister with Noah and Penelope seeing it.”, Lizzie stated the obvious.

“Please don't remind me.”

“Well I just did. What are you going to do about it or have you forgotten about the part where you asked me to help you win your girl back?”

“Of course I didn't forget!”, Josie exclaimed.

She felt terrible for the events at the party. It had gotten so out of hand and she had only contributed to the mess. Her actions had hurt the first person the brunette had actual feelings for and ruined her chances with the barista.

Josie felt defeated. When she had woken up she had felt horrible, but now it was even worse. Each beat of her heart only pumped more regret and pain through her, filling her up until all she could feel was utter devastation.

“I fucked up bad and I don't know how to fix it.”, Josie whispered.

“I know.”, Lizzie gave her a weak smile, sitting down next to her twin sister, “But I will do everything I can to help you. You're not alone in this.”

Her sisters words did only little to mend the pieces her heart was in, but Lizzie's support meant a great deal to the brunette. With her sister and most likely Hope as well it could be possible to win Penelope back. Of course Josie knew that she had to put in the most effort and work on herself, but with the two girls by her side she felt better. Only slightly given how she left things with the raven haired girl last night, but better.

“I love you. I'm sorry I'm such a mess.”

“I love you too Jo. And don't worry about it, we all mess up at times. What matters is what you do afterwards.”

Looking up Josie asked earnestly: “And what do I do now?”

The brunette had no idea and by the grimace on Lizzie's face neither did she.

“I was so proud of that life lesson and you managed to ruin my moment.”, the blonde attempted to joke, but it only backfired.

“I manage to ruin everything at the moment...”

“Josie! Snap out of it! Self-pity isn't going to solve anything. You need to get your head in the game and start thinking about ways to woo Penelope and how to not fuck up anything else. Moping around is definitely not the way to go.”, Lizzie gave her tough love.

“You're right.”, the brunette said, “I'll go freshen up and then we can brainstorm. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like you're finally getting it.”, Lizzie grinned.

 

The hot shower made Josie feel better. The aftermath of the alcohol was still taking it's toll on her however she felt as ready as she could feel for the day.

Exiting the bathroom she immediately started talking about the ideas she came up with: “So here are the options. I could ask her to spend the day with me, but I feel like this might be too much. I mean we can't just act like yesterday never happened and go back to kind of dating after all. Then there is also the option of all of us hanging out so it's more natural and laid-back. Or I could ask her to go to classes with me so I can show her that I stand by her in front of everyone. Though that could come off as trying too hard right?”

“Definitely.”, her sister agreed with a weird face.

“What is it?”, Josie questioned worried.

“I have news. I don't know if they're good or bad though...”

“Spit it out Lizzie.”

“You left your phone here.”, the blonde started cautiously, “Penelope texted you and asked if you wanted to stop by the coffee shop.”

The brunette was stunned. She hadn't expected the barista to make the first move. After all it hadn't been her who had messed up. But then again she shouldn't be surprised, the raven haired girl always found a way to make it easier for her. No matter how dumb her actions had been.

“I'm going to go see her right?”

“Well you have to really. Blowing her off now would probably be the wrong thing to do and you seriously can't make any more wrong moves.”

“Thank you for that Liz. Exactly what I needed to hear.”, the brunette commented.

“Sorry.”, the blonde replied apologetic and handed Josie her phone.

Staring down on her screen the brunette thought of a way to respond. Who knew that texting someone back could be this hard. Usually the college girl didn't think about what to text. No matter what her reply was it had been good enough. But now there was her heart riding on it. It was nerve wrecking really.

“I'll see you in ten.”, she read out loud, looking at the blonde for approval which she got with a shrug and an unsure thumps up.

“Sent.”

 

It was a beautiful day. There were no clouds and the sun was shining. Everybody seemed to be in a great mood and it only made Josie feel worse. It felt like she was walking to her execution and the sunny disposition of the people around her felt like mockery. She probably deserved it though.

The brunette even contemplated turning around and telling Penelope that she felt too sick, but she knew that that wasn't an option. If she wanted to get the raven haired girl back she had to do this. No matter how hard it was. And getting her back was everything Josie wanted.

The bell above the door seemed louder than usual and it almost made the college girl jump. She was anxious and the bell as well as the busyness of the place was just adding to her nerves.

When Josie got to the counter Penelope looked surprised.

“You came.”, the barista stated.

“Of course I did.”, Josie said, her voice cracking a little bit.

She hated how vulnerable she was feeling right now and how her voice portrayed that for anybody to hear. And the way Penelope was looking at her didn't make it any better. Her beautiful features displayed pain which she was trying to hide. Josie tried to tell herself that it was because of what happened yesterday, but somehow the emotion displayed didn't match the hurt on the barista's face last night.

“Do you want to get out of here and talk somewhere that is not at my work place?”, Penelope asked, forcing a smile.

“What is going on?”

Josie's heart was thumping loudly in her chest. The other girl's actions only contributing to her already existing worry. There was obviously something wrong and the brunette didn't want to find out. If she were to loose the raven haired girl she wouldn't know what to do. Penelope's reassurance of not leaving her echoed in the back of her head. Her words about Josie being good enough and just needing time. But those memories became whispers as the emotions of the girl in front of her screamed bad news.

“Let's not talk here.”, the barista avoided her question, making her way around the counter and towards the staff room.

But Josie couldn't move. Her legs felt like they were going to give out under her. Penelope wanted to talk in private and the taller girl couldn't think of a single way the conversation was going to end happily. The raven haired girl was going to tell her that everything she had said at the party had been a mistake. That she regretted ever giving her a chance. She would break her heart inside the same room they had almost kissed for the first time. In the room Josie had felt the first spark of hope that she could actually be with the barista.

“Josie?”

Blinking a few times the brunette looked into Penelope's green eyes. They were breathtaking and she couldn't help but think that today might be the last time she would get to look at them. She wanted to take it all in, memorize each detail of the mesmerizing green orbs that were going to haunt her in her dreams. If she couldn't have them in real life she at least could drown inside of them when she was sleeping.

The brunette was brought back to reality when she felt the raven haired girl take her hand. She wanted to yank herself away from Penelope. Run away so she wouldn't hear what was coming next. But Josie couldn't. Holding the barista's hand, having that kind of comforting touch from her was breaking her heart in the sweetest way.

She didn't say a word as the other girl lead her towards the staff room, closing the door behind them so they could be alone.

“Josie.”, Penelope started, but the taller girl couldn't take it anymore.

“You don't want to see me anymore right? It's okay if you want to take back what you said yesterday. I get it.”

There was so much pain and fear dripping from the words it surprised the college girl that she didn't actually cry while saying them.

“If I say something I mean it. I would never want to take back what I said. It is as true today as it was last night.”, the raven haired girl said with determination, lifting Josie's chin up so she could look at her.

“Then why do I feel like you're going to break my heart?”

Penelope didn't say a word. She remained silent. As the seconds passed the tears threatening to fall down Josie's face were blurring her vision. But she didn't want to blink, afraid that once she would see the barista in all clarity again she would tell her to leave. Despite meaning that the brunette was enough the time would never be right for them.

And as she blinked and the first tear drop rolled down her cheek Penelope spoke: “I'm leaving for a while. It's a business trip so nothing permanent. I just thought you should know.”

Josie wished she would have never blinked. That she had stayed in the moment of uncertainty. Penelope was leaving and even though she didn't say it, the brunette knew that it was because of her. Had she not fucked up and been brave enough to be honest with herself and the girl in front of her the raven haired girl wouldn't be leaving.

“When?”, Josie asked soundless.

“Tomorrow. I didn't want to go without saying goodbye.”

“So that's it then?”, she asked, almost choking on her words. She felt empty and broken. As if someone had ripped out her heart and dropped the shell of her body on concrete.

“I'm not leaving for good. I just need some time and I think you do too. We can text and when I'm back maybe things will be different. But right now I don't think it's a good idea to stay in town.”, Penelope explained, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

“So what are you saying? You're going to put a few cities between us in hope of softening the blow for me?”, she questioned.

“Jesus Josie.”, Penelope got angry, “That's not what I'm saying. I'm trying my best here and all you do is think about yourself. You hurt me. You seriously hurt me and all you can think about is how I'm going to hurt you. This is exactly why I decided to take my parent's offer. It will give you time to sort things out and I'll have the space I need right now.”

The words hit her hard. Penelope was right. Despite wanting to be better, believing that she could change she still ended up only thinking about her own feelings. The girl in front of her was always the bigger person and Josie couldn't even begin to understand how hard that must be for her.

“I'm sorry.”

“You've been saying that a lot lately.”, the barista scoffed.

Now it was Josie who got angry: “Well I am! I'm sorry that I messed up and I'm sorry that I hurt you. Causing you pain is the last thing I want to do, but somehow I always end up doing just that. And that's my fault. I'm well aware, but I can't change what happened. I can only try to make up for it in the future.”

Running her hands through her dark hair Penelope sighed, calming herself down: “And you will have time to do that. Wether or not I'm here.”

Josie knew that the other girl was being honest with her so she took a deep breath and for the first time she was honest about her feelings as well, deciding that wearing her heart on her sleeve was the best way to go: “Well I'm scared that when you're going to walk out of this door you will not come back. You have no reason to.”

Disbelieve flashed in Penelope's green eyes.

“Is that what you think?”, she asked her surprised.

“Of course. If I were you I wouldn't stick around and wait for me. I haven't given you any reason to.”

To the brunette's surprise the barista stepped closer to her, looking up into her eyes with a softness the taller girl hadn't seen today. She felt Penelope wiping away the remainders of her tears and the softness of her hand when she cupped her face.

“Yeah you have. And this right now is just one of many.”

“This right now?”, she asked confused. Josie didn't understand how her being selfish and crying about Penelope going on a business trip and leaving her behind was doing her any good.

“If this were easy it wouldn't be worth fighting for.”, Penelope smiled sadly at her.

 

When Josie got back Hope and her sister were both there. She didn't even fight them when they asked her to tell them everything. The words just poured out of her and she felt like as if she was telling herself what happen again to remind herself that her conversation with Penelope had been real.

“Asia?”, was all Lizzie said after she was done.

“Yeah. She's leaving tomorrow and will be back in about a week.”, Josie nodded.

“But she said that she isn't going to give up on you guys. That's good news. And I mean it also gives you the time to properly plan cute surprises and get your shit in order.”, Hope tried to cheer her up.

“I know. I will do that, but at the moment I just want to not think about it. Can we order in and binge watch series? I don't want to think about how Penelope is going to be on a plane to the other side of the globe in less than twenty-four hours.”

“Sure.”

 

Penelope loved airports. Most people hated them because they were often crowded and hectic and loud. But for the raven haired girl it was none of that. Sure she was surrounded by people, of which some of them were running to catch their flight, but she was at ease. Being here meant that she got to see new things. It was the doorway to an escape to a different life.

Her parents had offered to get her a private yet, but that would mean a smaller airport with less hustle which she was excited about.

Checking in and going through security Penelope settled in the first class lounge they had at the airport. It was rather quiet in there. Some people were working on their laptops while other enjoyed their beverage while sitting in one of the many comfortable seats. The lounge was spacious again, just like everything when it came to the luxury of people with a little bit more money. There was an area with a sauna and a jacuzzi, a dining room as well as rooms with beds so the guests who had to catch up on some sleep could rest comfortably.

Getting a vodka tonic the raven haired girl went over to one of the seats that overlooked the landing strips. There weren't many people there so she put in her headphones and enjoyed the view. It was crazy how many flights departed and arrived and even though Penelope was aware that she didn't know any of the people on the flights she felt a little bit connected to them. Sure airports were just as anonymous as the streets in any big city, but they had something in common, they were all about to leave or arrive at a new place.

Sipping her drink Penelope thought about how much emotions were actually attached to a place like this. Traveling was something exciting. Something that never got boring. Sure she knew that constant business trips could really tire someone out, but whenever she thought about it she felt lucky that she got to go to so many different countries. With her parents being successful in their business she had gotten to go on weekend trips to Cuba with her friends and many other places. So she knew that no matter how long anyone would stay in a foreign city it would leave a mark.

Her first stop on her short business trip would be Beijing. She had been there previously and had loved the vibe. It had surprised her that she would be going to China's capital since Shanghai and Hong Kong were actually more of the corporate cities, but who was she to complain.

Penelope was excited to go back. Each country she had visited had a different vibe, that slightly changed her attitude. It didn't mean that she was a different person whenever she traveled. However it did always slightly alter how she went about her day. Beijing made her more outgoing than usual. The raven haired girl didn't quite understand why that was exactly, but she had been living her best life.

The only thing the barista wasn't thrilled about was the fact that she would be meeting Ivy at one of the bars downtown as soon as she had brought her stuff to the hotel she was staying at. The Perrin heir had conveniently decided that she would take a short vacation to Asia. Coincidentally in the same cities Penelope was going to be in for her trip.

The raven haired girl wasn't looking forward to Ivy trying to win her back. It would make the entire trip a little more exhausting than she had planed. Battling a jet lag should have sufficed as enough of an obstacle, but apparently not if her ex girlfriend had anything to say about it.

Right before she was about to get on the plane her phone buzzed.

“Have a safe flight. - Josie”

Her heart skipped a beat and a wide smile spread across her face. Josie had remembered and for the first time since the concert the barista honestly thought that the brunette and her could work out.

 

It was a long flight but Penelope didn't sleep. She enjoyed the vast selection of movies they had, finally catching up on all the relatively new movies she hadn’t gotten around to see in the cinema.

When they approached landing the barista started to look out of the window. Unsurprisingly she was greeted with a slight smog cloud hanging over the city below her.

Her chauffeur met her at the exit and without further ado he lead her to the car that was waiting outside.

The drive didn't take too long. Even though there was a bit of traffic the airport wasn't too far outside the center and the sun was still shining when Penelope checked into her hotel. Her parents had gotten her a nice suite with a great view. Not that she had expected anything less than amazing. When it came to representation of the Parks they only settled for the best.

The barista let herself fall onto the soft bed and got her phone out. Sending a quick message to her parents and Landon that she was all settled in she went on her chat with Josie.

Laying there she thought how much the brunette would love the city. Since Penelope had been here before she could have easily shown her all the great spots, as well as all the sights of course. Josie would have had a lot of fun exploring and going to all the clubs where the raven haired girl had contacts so they wouldn't have to pay the entrance fee or the alcohol.

Penelope wanted to text Josie that maybe one day she could take her here herself, but considering the circumstances she decided that that was probably not the best idea so she settled for: “I'm in Beijing now and since you're probably asleep at the moment and won't read this until you wake up: good morning.”

Content with her answer she took a quick shower and got dressed. Ivy had yet to text her so Penelope got her purse and headed out. The day was still kind of young and she was craving actual Chinese food. It had been too long since she had that since most Chinese restaurants in the States modified their menu so it was more 'American'. It was funny how what everybody thought was typical Chinese food actually wasn't.

She remembered that one restaurant she really liked and left the hotel. Despite having a personal driver Penelope opted for taking a taxi. It was super cheap anyways and she didn't want to have one of her parent's employee's looking over her shoulder 24/7. After all she knew how to take care of herself just fine. Her parents didn't have to know where she was at all times.

 

Just as the barista finished her meal she received a message from Ivy. Her ex wanted to meet up at one of the roof top bars and since Penelope had promised her to try to be civil she immediately agreed to meeting her there.

The bar was amazing. The sun was slowly setting and all the lights of the cars and the few skyscrapers and other buildings started to really show. The terrace was dimly lit and had it own bar. Knowing her ex girlfriend she had probably insisted on being outside.

Ivy saw her first, approaching her with a wide smile. 

“Penelope. I'm so glad you could make it.”, she greeted her.

“Ivy, lovely to see you here.”, Penelope tried to sound as convincing as possible.

There was another girl standing a little bit behind Ivy. Hazel eyes, framed by long blonde hair, were looking at with curiosity.

When Ivy realized that the barista had taken notice of the blonde her smile got even wider. 

“Where are my manners. This is Amelia.”, the brunette said, “My girlfriend.”

Penelope didn't see that one coming. Of all the things the girl could have been the last thing she would have thought of was that she was her ex's new girlfriend.

But the raven haired girl was too much of a professional to let her surprise show, so instead of being at a loss for words she extended her hand: “It's really nice to meet you. I'm Penelope Park.”

She had to bite her tongue as she wanted to add something along the lines of “I have never heard of you”, but since that wasn't the girl's fault she swallowed her comment.

Amelia shook her hand with a sweet smile: “It's a pleasure to meet you. You have quite the reputation.”

There was a spark in her hazel eyes that Penelope couldn't quite identify, but something about the blonde intrigued her.

“I hope it's a good reputation.”, she smiled confidently.

“Depends on who you ask I guess.”, Amelia laughed, “But I for one can't wait to see for myself what you're like.”

Ivy who had been standing idly by suddenly coughed. Apparently the brunette wasn't amused by the lack of attention she was getting.

“Shall we?”, she asked, taking Amelia's hand and leading them to one of the tables at the edge of the terrace.

Ivy certainly knew how to get the best seats. They had a direct view over the city and it was a secluded enough spot to have some privacy without behind hidden from the waiters. Penelope hopped on the bar stool opposite of the couple and smiled. There was no way that Ivy and Amelia were an actual couple. The barista didn't want to jump to conclusions and conspiracy theories, but the way the two girls interacted didn't come off as natural. Knowing Ivy the blonde was probably just a tool to make her jealous or something. Something she definitely didn't need right now.

Conversation went smoothly and Penelope actually started to enjoy herself. Drinks were coming non stop and she found that Amelia was actually a really interesting and nice person. That alone supported her hunch that her and Ivy couldn't possibly be together. It annoyed the barista that her ex would involve someone like the blonde in her schemes. Not that it was a shocker, the brunette had always used people to get a personal gain, but it still bother Penelope. It was completely unnecessary since there was no way she was getting back with her.

When Ivy's phone went off for the tenth time Amelia nudged her 'girlfriend' and whispered: “You can take the call, we're fine here.”

Unsure she shot her and Penelope a look before excusing herself from the table to find a more private spot to take the call. It was probably a company issue and the barista knew how secretive and cautious everyone was when it came to that.

“So how am I living up to my reputation?”, the raven haired girl asked curious.

“Well the people are right about the Park charm. You certainly know how to make a conversation interesting. But other than that I'm still waiting for some of the things to be proven right or wrong.”, Amelia chuckled.

Narrowing her eyes Penelope tried to figure out what the other girl was trying to imply. She was certain that the blonde was just waiting for her to say something in particular, but she couldn't put her finger on it. At least not until hazel eyes left their staring contest to look over her shoulder at Ivy.

Smirking the barista took a sip of her drink and got Amelia's attention back.

“Did you just figure it out?”, the blonde asked her with a smirk.

The confidence and the way the other girl was holding herself with surprised Penelope. She hadn't expected her to be aware that Ivy was taking advantage of her. Now though the raven haired girl was pretty sure that it was actually the other way around. Amelia was using Ivy. But for what she still had no clue.

“No. I've had my suspicions the moment we were introduced. I'm just amazed by you.”, she admitted.

“I'll take that as a compliment.”, the girl smiled.

“So what are you doing here?”, Penelope was straight forward.

“Everybody knows about Ivy and you. When she approached me and started flirting with me I knew that she would end up taking me somewhere where you were. To make you jealous as you probably figured out.”, Amelia told her honestly, sipping her drink nonchalantly.

“So what you're saying is that you wanted to meet me? Should I be flattered or concerned now?”, Penelope continued their banter.

The blonde laughed lightly: “Flattered for sure. You're quite the talk in our circle. The girl who abandoned the life and decided to go follow her own dreams. Penelope Park who despite trying to fade into the background always commands a room as soon as she walks in. I was curious about you.”

“How come I have never met you? I know almost every family that attends all the events all of us do.”

“I'm not as rich as you guys.”, the blonde chuckled, “My family only owns little compared to your family and Ivy's. I'm pretty sure my surname wouldn't ring any bells if I told you.”

“Well what is you last name?”

“De Luca.”

Penelope tried to connect the name to anything but came up empty.

“I went to boarding school with some of Ivy's friends. I was never part of the It-clique, but I knew who they were. Their gossip was always our gossip too and that's how I know about you. When Ivy offered to take me with her on her trip I gladly accepted.”

The way she spoke made Penelope reevaluate the blonde. It wasn't that her first impression of her being nice and interesting changed. It was more like a few other qualities were added. She had misjudged the girl and that rarely happened.

“So this is not only your chance to meet me, but also an opportunity for you to get connections. Now I suddenly don't feel so special anymore.”

“Oh please, you're amazing and you know that.”, Amelia smiled unbothered by Penelope's comment.

Before Penelope could reply Ivy was already back. Judging by the look on her face the phone call hadn't went well.

“We need to leave Amelia. I'm sorry P that this is so sudden now, but there is a slight problem that I need to fix right away.”, the brunette explained.

“How about you go ahead and deal with whatever you need to and I make sure that Amelia gets back to the hotel safe? That way she can experience even more of the city. You and I have both been here before, but it's her first time.”, Penelope suggested.

She was glad that her ex was leaving earlier than expected and somehow the blonde had captured the barista's interest. Amelia was fun to talk to and there was still so much she wanted to know about the other girl. Penelope knew that a chance to talk to her without Ivy being close was probably not going to present itself again. So who was she to not take advantage of this one right now.

“Are you sure?”, Ivy asked, obviously trying to hide the displeasure of Penelope's proposition.

“Yeah we'll be fine babe.”, Amelia smiled her innocent smile, the one the raven haired girl now knew was fake, and kissed Ivy's cheek.

As soon as Ivy was gone the girl sitting opposite of Penelope raised an eye brow.

“What?”

“Why'd you just do that? You must think that I'm a gold digger now.”, Amelia questioned.

“I'm still unsure about that. Because if you truly were one you would know that you should stick with Ivy. The Park business might be more influential, but since you've heard so much about me and you seem to be nobody's fool you are well aware that I'm not going to be a stepping stone for you.”

At that the blonde's confident demeanor fell and she got a more soft and honest face expression.

“And I want you to know that I'm not trying to use you. I only agreed to coming with Ivy because I knew that she was trying to use me and I don't like to be taken advantage of. I honestly just wanted to use the opportunity that she gave me and make the best out of it.”

Penelope believed her. She appreciated how Amelia didn't take crap from other people. Especially not from more powerful ones. That kind of reminded the raven haired girl of herself and now it made sense why she liked the blonde. The girl was more of a free spirit than any other person she had met in their world. Not counting Landon and herself of course.

Just as she was about to reply she saw a message pop up on her phone.

“Good morning, or evening for you I guess. I hope you're enjoying your first day and are having fun.”

Josie was awake and Penelope immediately forgot about the girl in front of her. A smile made it's way onto her face and she picked up her phone, quickly typing a response.

“I'm having a great time. You'd love it here.”

It was surely the alcohol talking, but the barista didn't care. Her previous hesitance to talk about the brunette and her possibly going anywhere together at one point was gone. She got up and snapped a photo from the roof top and attached it to her message. Even though the cheerleader couldn't be here with her right now she wanted her to at least see what she was seeing. That way the distance wouldn't feel so big anymore.

When Penelope looked up again she was met with curious hazel eyes.

“What's her name?”

“Josie.”

“No wonder Ivy wanted to have a fake girlfriend.”, Amelia stated.

“I told her that she has no chance at getting back together with me. However it seems like she doesn't want to quit trying.”, Penelope sighed, tired of her ex's antics.

“Well you can't blame her though. If I had lost you, I'd try everything too.”

There was nothing flirty in the way the blonde said it. It felt like she was stating a fact and the friendly smile on her face supported the earnest tone in her voice. Penelope found it refreshing. The last couple of weeks had been an emotional chaos with Josie's constant flirtations and then her opening up to her. Adding Ivy's attempts of winning her back and her parent's inclining participation in her life the blonde was a breath of fresh air. Amelia was different and exactly what Penelope needed right now.

“I'd appreciate it if she would stop trying. I have enough going on without her schemes.”, Penelope sighed tired.

“You want to talk about it? I know we just met, but sometimes a stranger can be the best listener.”, Amelia offered.

The barista really did contemplate if she should. Amelia knowing wouldn't do any harm after all. Even if she were to tell Ivy about her problems with Josie, which she doubted the girl would do, it wouldn't be of a detriment to her. It wouldn't change how she felt about the brunette.

“Alright.”, Penelope agreed.

 

“Wow.”, was all the girl said when Penelope was done.

“Yeah, it's been a bit much lately.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you're a really strong person?”

“Yeah Landon reminds me of that form time to time. I just wish I wouldn't have to be strong all the times. I wish that it would all be easier sometimes. I know life isn't a stroll through the park, but I wouldn't mind it being less stressful every once in a while.”, the barista admitted.

“I get it. But let me tell you, I think you're doing great.”, Amelia told her and put her hand supportively on top of Penelope's, which earned her a grateful smile.

After that their conversation went back to more trivial topics and the hours flew by so fast that a polite waiter had to inform them that the bar was closing for the night.

The two girls paid their bill and left. As promised Penelope brought Amelia to the hotel Ivy and her were staying at before she left for her place.

There were still a lot of cars on the streets and the constant honking and the chatter of the few people was a nice background noise. Even though the barista could take a taxi back she decided to walk. She knew the streets and a little alone time before she went to bed couldn't hurt.

Penelope thought back on the day. The change of scenery had been great and had taken her mind off of the college girl for a while. Meeting Amelia only contributed to the light feeling she had. The blonde had surprised her and even after one night she already considered her a friend. Penelope was glad that the girl would accompany Ivy to everything. Her being there would make the interaction with her ex easier.

A feeling was telling her that the business trip, which would officially start with a meeting tomorrow at noon, would work wonders for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo what do you think of Amelia? Can she be trusted?
> 
> I know it's not a lot of Posie right now, but I'll focus on both their growths in the next chapter (or two) which is important for when they see each other again


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot happening here. And of course it will all have an effect on how the story continues. It's the LONGEST chapter yet so I hope you enjoy this one :)

Josie was still in her dorm room when she received Penelope's reply: “I'm having a great time. You'd love it here.”

Attached to the text were a couple of pictures from what seemed to be a roof top. The city below was beautiful. Even though it wasn't exactly what the brunette had expected it to look like, it was stunning. There were less skyscrapers. Nevertheless the entire city was lit up by the lights coming from the buildings and the traffic below.

It was crazy to think that the raven haired girl was on the other side of the globe right now. It astonished her despite knowing that it was normal. People flew to different countries all the time. However the brunette had never had the experience of a friend being in Asia. Or somewhere equally far away. 

Adding to that came the fact that it was Penelope who was that far away. Josie felt strange knowing that she wouldn't run into the barista at the coffee shop. It made her think about her time with the other girl and made her see certain things in a different light. Being apart from her made the college girl realize that she missed seeing Penelope as often as she had the past couple of weeks. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder and Josie had to agree to a certain point. The distance made her wish that the raven haired girl was here with her. It made her appreciate everything even more. How Penelope always knew what to say when she was feeling down. How the other girl took care of her and showed her affection and patience. How her green eyes would sparkle whenever Josie opened up to her and how it had felt when they had kissed. Maybe her heart wasn't necessarily fonder now, but the brunette definitely was more aware of how important the barista was to her.

Josie's heart constricted at the though of having to wait for an entire week until she was able to reunite with the raven haired girl. Still she knew that the space and time was necessary. Especially for her since she had to deal with her feelings for the other girl.

The longing inside her chest already told her what she had figured out when she had seen the hurt look on Penelope's face at the party. She was falling for the barista wether or not she wanted to. Surprisingly though she didn't fight it anymore. Josie had been aware that there had been an internal battle of what her mind wanted and what her heart desired. Now however the brunette wasn't conflicted anymore.

With Penelope gone, even if it was the first day without her, the college girl was sure that she never wanted that to happen again. Yesterday Josie had been so devastated when she had thought that the raven haired girl was going to regret giving her a chance and would leave her. Not having Penelope in her life was terrifying. Something she never wanted to experience.

Sure the brunette was still scared of how much she was feeling, but the thought of loosing the barista was even worse. Almost as bad as the fact that she had about a week to become a better person. Who was even able to change in a single week?

But then again Josie had to remind herself that she didn't have to change completely. She didn't need a complete character-transformation. All she had to do was try to be more in synch with who she really was. Not popular Josie, but the real Josie. Still it was easier said than done.

Sitting up she got dressed and headed to her first class. Lizzie would meet her there. Her sister had left early since she wanted to go and see Rafael after his first and only class that day to break up with him. The blonde had been anxious last night since a break up was never easy. Josie was glad that they shared their classes so she could immediately check up on her twin and see how she was doing.

When she entered the lecture hall the brunette could easily pick out the bright blonde hair of her sister. Lizzie was sitting in the back and was currently talking to some of their cheerleader friends. They all seemed to be focused on what the blonde had to say and it wasn't far fetched when Josie assumed that they were all talking about the break up. News traveled fast and considering the twins social standing it was no wonder if that was going to be the talk of the week.

“Hey Liz.”, Josie made herself known.

“Josie!”, Lizzie exclaimed enthusiastically and sprung up from her chair, hugging her sister tightly.

Chuckling the brunette asked: “I take it everything went well with Raf?”

“Yes! I was just talking about how much more free I feel. I mean sure we were such a power couple, but now that I'm on the market again I feel like I'm even more powerful. If that makes sense?”

“Totally.”, Chelsey, one of their cheerleader friends, said while nodding her head a bit over-excitedly, “It's empowering to be completely independent you know? Not that I'm saying that you weren't independent with Raf. I just mean that it's good that you realized that he wasn't Mr. Right for you and you ended things because you know your own worth.”

Chelsey who usually wasn't much of a deep-talker surprised the brunette with that answer and judging by the looks of the other girls she wasn't the only one who was taken aback with the level of wisdom the girl displayed. The honey blonde girl had been dead on in Josie's opinion.

“I'm so glad that you're all so supportive of me.”, Lizzie smiled happily.

“Of course Liz. You're inspiring.”, Chelsey assured her and the others hummed in agreement.

“So Josie what's new with you? We haven't really seen you around lately, but we've heard that you went to this mind-blowing party and had a super cute guy on your arm all night.”, another one of their friends changed the topic to the other twin.

Before Josie could even open her mouth, Lizzie shot her a pointed look. She knew what her sister wanted to tell her and she was glad that she was looking out for her like that. The brunette had been aware of the opportunity that was presenting itself right now even without her sister's look.

Right now the brunette had the chance to take the first step towards being less concerned about what she thought she had to be and be more herself. Stand up for what she wanted. Or rather who she wanted.

“His name is Noah.”, Josie started, but continued before any of her friends could start asking more questions, “But I'm zero interested in him.”

“What's wrong with this one?”, Chelsey wondered while another cheerleader said: “Honestly Jo when are you ever interested in someone? You have all these people throwing themselves at you and all you ever do is play the ice queen. I mean the elusiveness is super attractive, but as your friends we want to see you happy.”

That kind of stunned Josie. Not that she hadn't known that her friends were supportive, but she had always thought that her being the ice queen, the one that people unsuccessfully chased, was one of the main reasons why she was so popular.

Taking a deep breath the brunette dragged her next words out slowly, as if if she were to say them at a normal pace they'd blow up in her face: “I might have my eye on someone.”

Their reactions were priceless. Complete shock and astonishment were written over their faces, but before anyone could bombard her with questions their professor entered and asked everyone to be silent.

“To be continued Jo! This is amazing and we want all the details!”, Chelsey whispered and Josie just chuckled amused.

Leaning over Lizzie nudged her: “I'm proud of you sis. I know this isn't easy for you, but even just this small comment shows how much you've already grown since you met her.”

Josie could see the pride in her sister's blue eyes and it warmed her heart. It meant so much to have her twin say that. The blonde was right when she had said that it hadn't been easy for the brunette. Despite knowing that her friends wanted her to be happy, and Penelope sure did make her happy, the college girl was still wary of making herself vulnerable.

She had never been the one to show her insecurities, except maybe with her family, so she was anxious about how all of this would turn out. If she was honest she wasn't ready for her friends to know who she was interested in. The brunette had to take baby steps or otherwise it'd be too overwhelming. But she was sure that with time she would eventually end up being the person she wanted to be.

Penelope had shown her that it was okay to open up and let people see her who she is. The raven haired girl had been right when she had told her that she didn't have to change for her, but for herself. Josie should feel comfortable and try to be as happy as she could be. And frankly, despite what she had always believed to be true, she was the happiest whenever she was herself.

Before she focused on her class she got her phone out and replied to Penelope's last text with a smile on her face: “The view is amazing! Can't wait to hear about your day.”

 

Penelope woke up to a text from Josie. Looking down on it a grin made its way onto her face. Waking up to the brunette, well not literally but in a sense, was a great feeling.

Since her day had only begun the raven haired girl decided that she would reply to the college girl after her business meeting.

She was supposed to convince the CEO to agree to the Joint Venture her parents had proposed the previous month. There had been a constant back and fourth between the two companies and her parents were getting impatient with how slow everything was moving forward. Not to mention how resistant the other company was being to some of the terms.

Today was a bit darker than the previous day. The sun was only faintly coming through the cloud of smog hanging in the sky. Still it was warm and Penelope was kind of looking forward to the day. Business meetings usually were nothing too exciting, but somehow the barista was keen to see how the talk with the CEO would go.

After complaining about how she had ditched her driver yesterday and reminding her that her parents weren't too pleased with the behavior they made their way to the building where the company resided in.

Unsurprisingly the CEO wasn't thrilled that he got the Park's daughter instead of the 'real deal', as he so kindly put it, but that didn't faze the raven haired girl. She hadn't expected him to be happy about the arrangement and was sure that he would now try to undermine her in every way possible.

Penelope was used to being underestimated by her parents' peers. At least until they had actually met her. The girl was just as cunning and as skilled at winning people over as her parents. She knew how to uphold the Park reputation. Though it angered her that people tended to judge her solemnly on her age.

Before entering the room with the CEO she had gotten instructions on what terms to get through as they were and which terms she was allowed to budge on the slightest bit. With of course still the company's best interest in mind.

As Penelope was led into the room she managed to sneak a peek of one of the files that was laying on the desk. It was only for a second before the CEO hastily covered the papers up, but being the observant person that the barista was she recognized the name written on one particular paper.

Taking a seat she texted her parents about the new information: “Do the Perrin's want to branch out? Saw their name on one of the files before he closed them.”

It wasn't a secret that despite their 'friendship' with the Parks the Perrins wanted to surpass them in their hierarchy. Knowing that Ivy's parents might be interested to steal the Chinese company away from under their nose gave Penelope a huge advantage. The raven haired girl could easily slip it into the conversation and put pressure on the CEO. The Park business was more experienced and would provide a better partnership than the Perrins ever could. 

Ivy being in Beijing as well and the CEO being reluctant with his company's business with the Parks made perfect sense now. He was weighing his options and he knew that unlike the Parks the Perrins would give him more freedom.

Just as they were diving into negotiations Penelope saw her phone light up from under the table: “Good job. Bring it home. We'll deal with them later.”

Penelope smirked. This was perfect. Not only did she now have ammunition to close the contract, but her parents would most likely get off the Ivy train. Trouble between the two families would finally give her a chance to permanently get away form her ex girlfriend.

After way too many hours for the barista's liking they finally settled for something that was better than Penelope had initially hoped for. But then again had she not had the information about the Perrins from the very start.

Satisfied the raven haired girl exited the building and texted her parent's the update. They would be pleased with her. And if she was honest she was proud of herself. Business was never what her heart had desired. However having been entrusted with such an important meeting she felt good. It was still not something she wanted to pursue, but Penelope didn't mind it as much as she used to. Plus her parents were finally showing her affection so who was she to say that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Park business?

It was already late in the afternoon and her stomach started to grumble. The last time she had eaten had been breakfast.

The barista contemplated ordering room service, but then a better idea popped into her head. Sadly the barista didn't have Amelia's number, which she should definitely get soon, so she had to text her ex girlfriend to ask if they wanted to join her for a very late lunch or an early dinner.

Of course her the brunette was more than thrilled and they agreed to meet up in half an hour at one of their favorite restaurants the two had discovered the last time they had been in the city.

On the drive to the restaurant Penelope saw that her parents were calling.

“Penelope. We wanted to personally congratulate you on closing this tedious thing.”, her mother sounded from the other end.

“Thank you.”, Penelope smiled, “It was fortunate that I got a glimpse of that paper before the negotiations started.”

“Indeed. We should have known that they would pull something like this sooner or later.”, her mom thought out loud.

“On that note.”, her father piped up, apparently she was on speaker, “We want to inform you that we completely support your decision on not rekindling your romance with Ivy.”

When the raven haired girl heard that she had to laugh. It pissed her off that her love life was still considered as business for her parents. Still she was glad that at least they wouldn't push her towards the brunette anymore.

“However”, her mother ignored her reaction, “You need to stay close to her. She has always been a great source and just because of their misstep we can't dismiss them. They'll suffer the consequences for their stunt, but they're still the Perrins. That family won't go away any time soon.”

Of course her mother would remind her of her duties to the family. Penelope couldn't say that she was surprised by that. Her father never really said anything, but her mother was very vocal about what was expected of her.

“Obviously. I'm going to have dinner with her now, so don't worry about me tossing her to the side.”, the barista sighed.

“That's our girl.”, she heard her father state in the background.

It made her smile, though it was a bittersweet one.

“Oh and Penelope, since you've sorted everything out in Beijing you'll fly to Tokyo sooner than originally planned. Your flight leaves tomorrow morning at five.”

With that their phone call ended. Leaning back in her seat the barista closed her eyes. Exhausted from the day that wasn't even over yet she didn't even want to think about having to wake up so early to catch her flight. She was still battling her jet lag. The only thing that had kind of saved her was that she hadn't slept on the plane and had stayed up until very late. Penelope had been so tired that she had actually managed to sleep through the night. But that didn't mean that tonight would be a pice of cake. Her sleeping schedule was still messed up and an early flight was definitely not helping with that. This week was going to be harder than she had thought.

Since they were almost there Penelope got her phone out and started to text Josie back: “Just finished up the meeting I was in today and it went great. About to have dinner with Ivy and her pretend-girlfriend Amelia. I'm going to tell you all about it later when I have the time to talk. Maybe I could call you? That is if you're free and if it's not a bad time.”

The raven haired girl knew that she could probably tell the brunette everything via text, but she found herself missing the voice of the college girl. It hadn't even been that long since she had last heard it, but being deprived of it because of the distance was bothering her.

Amelia and Ivy were already seated. Penelope could see by the look on her ex girlfriends face that she had heard the news of their failed attempt to beat the Parks to the deal.

“Hello Ivy, how are you?”, the barista greeted her with a smirk, “Amelia.”

“Cleary not as good as you.”, the brunette grit her teeth, forcing a smile.

“Well we've always known that you weren't as good as me.”, Penelope chuckled and took a seat, content that she had put her ex in a mood.

Ivy just rolled her eyes in annoyance and put her hand on top of Amelia's. 

The barista raised an eye brow at that action: “So you still want to keep this up I see?”

Her ex shot a glare towards the blonde who just shrugged, making Penelope cut in: “This isn't on her Ivy. Did you really think that you could fool me. You should know by now that there is nothing you can keep hidden from me. Sooner or later I always see through whatever game you're playing.”

“She is quite good at reading people.”, Amelia commented.

“Well my day has just gotten even better.”, Ivy remarked, sarcasm lacing her voice.

“I'm so happy to be the cause of that.”, the raven haired girl grinned.

After ordering the conversation was a bit strained. However it didn't take long until Penelope defused the situation and tried to steer their choice of topic to more fun things. Ivy was still far away from enjoying herself, but the barista couldn't care less. Amelia and her did most of the talking and finally exchanged numbers as well.

All in all it had been an extremely successful day for Penelope and she couldn't wait to fly to Tokyo the next day.

 

Josie hadn't heard from the raven haired girl the entire day when she had sent her last message. It was to be expected though since when it was in the morning for the brunette it was in the evening for Penelope.

So when the college girl woke up to a message form the barista she was ecstatic. But that was soon clouded by the content of the text. Penelope had spend another night with her ex girlfriend. Not that Josie was worried that the two would rekindle their romance, it was just that jealousy shot through her. Ivy got to spend time with her while she didn't.

Still the fact that Penelope wanted to call her outweighed her jealousy. She would finally get to hear the other girl's voice again and even though they weren't physically hanging out Josie found solace in knowing that they would soon talk. Really talk.

“Just text me whenever you have time and I'll make sure that I'm free.”, she texted back.

Lizzie and Hope were in the dorm as well. All three girls had late classes and had used it to catch up on some much needed sleep. Which the two others were still getting.

With a smile Josie got up and started to get ready. The brunette had no idea what they would do today until duty called, but she was happy that she would be spending time with two of her favorite people. It was basically like old times.

“You're up early.”, Hope commented when Josie excited the bathroom.

“I know. I'm shocked as well.”, the college girl smiled and sat down next to her best friend.

“Lizzie told me about class yesterday.”, Hope grinned, “Well not actually about class, rather about you finally owning up to your crush.”

Of course her sister had the brunette already filled in. The blonde was never one to keep onto news for too long and considering the sister had been so proud of her it was no wonder that Hope already knew about it.

“I don't have a crush on her.”, the cheerleader replied with a serious face, trying her hardest not too smirk.

Like expected the smaller girl's eyes widened and just as she was about to call bullshit Josie added quietly: “I caught some serious feelings.”

Hope's previous face had been hilarious, but the one that she had on her face now was priceless. Pride, affection and utter joy was displayed in her ocean eyes.

“Lizzie!”, she screamed excitedly, successfully waking up the blonde who shot her a death-glare that subsides as soon as the next words fell out of Hope's mouth, “Our baby is growing up! Little Jo here just said she has some serious feelings for a certain raven haired barista.”

Faking tears of joy Lizzie sniffed: “They grow up so fast. I still remember her running around with a gap in her teeth and claiming that she is a princess.”

Josie rolled her eyes, but she couldn't be happier. Goofing around with the two girls had always been fun. Even though it was at her expense at the moment.

“Well I'm still a princess. Some things never change.”, she remarked and over exaggeratedly flipped her brown hair over her shoulder.

“I'm sure Penelope would agree with you on that. The way she looks at you I was certainly unsure if I had it wrong the whole time and instead of being an annoying pain in the ass you were actually a princess.”, Hope joked and made Lizzie laughed out loud.

“I hate you guys.”, Josie stuck out her tongue and glanced down on her phone, “But speaking of Penelope, I'm going outside so I can call her without the two of you in the background.”

“Are you sure you want to have phone sex in the hallway Jo? That might be inappropriate.”, her twin said smugly.

“You are so unbelievable.”, the brunette chuckled and left their shared dorm room.

Her heart skipped a few beats in the prospect of finally talking to Penelope. She cursed herself for not taking a jacket with her since it was already starting to get colder. It was late in the summer so it was okay to be walking around with a shirt. However something more couldn't hurt as well.

The brunette knew where she wanted to go and quickly texted the barista back: “Call you in ten?”

When Josie was on the roof top she sat down and observed the crowd beneath her. It wasn't as sunny as it had been the last couple of days. Clouds hung over the town and only a few spots of blue were visible.

Penelope picked up after the second ring: “Hey Jojo.”

Hearing the girl's nickname for her made the brunette grin like an idiot. It was crazy how one single word could ignite so many emotions for her. It almost felt like it was a promise that everything would be okay. At least that was how Josie felt.

“Hey yourself,”, the college girl smiled, “Isn't it like super late or super early for you?”

“Oh yeah, but this jet lag is a bitch and I have an early flight to Tokyo so I thought the best way to kill time is to talk to you.”

“So I'm just being used right now because you have nothing better to do?”, the brunette teased.

“I see your tactic for fishing for compliments hasn't changed. Good to know.”, she could almost see the raven haired girl roll her eyes in a playful manner, “But since I'm in a good mood I'll say that I have been looking forward to the chance of talking to you.”

God Josie wanted to hug her right now. Penelope's full voice and the cheekiness of their banter caused butterflies in her stomach.

“Well I'm happy to hear that because I have missed talking to you.”, the words left her lips before her brain could catch up on what she was saying.

Panic shot through the college girl and her eyes widened comically. She hadn't meant to say that she missed the barista. Hell Penelope had only been away for a couple of days and here she was stating that she already missed her. Shutting her eyes while her pulse quickened Josie waited for an answer. There was no way she would take saying it back even if it meant that their conversation would be awkward now.

“Josie.”, she heard the barista whisper affectionately and her voice made shivers run down the brunette's spine.

There was silence after. Holding her breath the taller girl waited for Penelope to say something.

“I can literally see your face right now. Relax.”, the raven haired girl finally continued softly, “I missed talking to you too.”

Josie audible exhaled the breath she was holding, making the girl on the other end chuckle in amusement. Penelope knew her so well. Which was shocking considering they hadn't spend a vast amount of time together. Usually it took people a couple of months to figure the brunette out, but it had taken the raven haired girl considerable less than a month.

“So tell me all about this scandalous pretend relationship Ivy had going on.”, the college girl changed the topic, genuinely interested about what that had been all about.

Penelope told her everything. How good it felt to be back in Beijing since it was one of her favorite cities. She told her about Amelia and how they had gotten along amazingly. How her business meeting went and that she found out that Ivy's family had schemed and her parents were now no long for a relationship between the two girls and that the dinner afterwards had been great.

Listening to the barista talk made Josie's heart swell. Her voice was so calming and at the same time it made the brunette's heart beat a little bit faster. Hearing about her days was amazing. It almost felt like she was there with the other girl. Like she was a part of it all and she couldn't be happier about that feeling.

When Penelope was done and Josie had commented on everything she told the raven haired girl about her days. The barista was even interested in the topics she was currently discussing in classes. The brunette was comfortable with sharing her experiences with Penelope. She wanted the other girl to know all about how she was doing.

However Josie had still to tell her about her personal improvement. Insecurity hindered her from saying that she had told people that there was someone she had her eye on. But she knew that it was probably something she should update the barista on.

“I have to go soon.”, Penelope stated, clearly hesitant to end their phone call.

Internally cursing herself for procrastinating Josie ran her fingers through her long hair. Heart beating loud and fast in her chest she finally managed to choke out: “Wait.”

“Yeah?”, there was curiosity in her voice.

Biting her lips Josie forced herself to speak: “So I've been telling my friends about this girl I'm interested in.”

“Is that so?”, Penelope replied and it almost sounded amused if it weren't for the happy genuineness that was lacing her voice.

“Yeah. I'm being all mysterious about it since it only adds to my glorious reputation you know.”, Josie chuckled, praying that the barista knew that she was joking about her not telling them who she was was good for her reputation.

“Of course.”, Penelope laughed, “Well I can't wait to see if that girl you've been talking about can give me a run for my money.”

“No one could ever give you a run for your money Penelope.”, Josie said earnestly.

“Since when are you so cheesy”, she heard her chuckle.

“I heard it when I said it.”, the brunette joined in, cringing a little.

“Well I have to go now so have a fun day, I'll text you later.”, the barista said.

“Alright have a safe flight.”, Josie said her goodbye and ended the call.

There was literally nothing that could bring the college girl down now. They had talked for over an hour and it was definitely getting chilly up where Josie was sitting, but that didn't bother her. Her heart was pumping energy through her body and she felt like she could run a marathon right now.

Happy the brunette returned to her room where Hope and Lizzie were still hanging out. The two girls had started a movie which they paused when the tall girl entered.

“You look chipper.”, the blonde grinned at her.

“I am. What do you guys say to a trip to the mall? We could get some food and just try on stuff for fun?”, Josie suggested.

“Only if you tell us all about what Penelope has been up to.”, Hope bargained.

“Deal.”

 

The raven haired girl was beyond tired at this point. She had just arrived at her hotel in Tokyo and luckily for her the next thing on her schedule was in the evening. Penelope was supposed to attend a small dinner with a few important people. Basically it was all about winning them over so her parents could initiate meetings where they were inclined to agree with what the Parks were trying to get across.

The dinner was still ages away so the barista decided to get some sleep. It would certainly not help her sleeping schedule but at the moment she couldn't care less. Exhaustion was louder than sense.

Her alarm clock woke her up hours later. Penelope still felt like she had been hit with a truck but duty was calling. Groaning the barista swung herself out of bed and started to get appropriately dressed.

They would meet up at the restaurant and if things would go well she was sure that she would be invited to join them at a bar in Roppongi.

Tokyo was so different to Beijing. Well Japan in it's entirety was completely something else to China. The raven haired girl couldn't say which country she preferred since there was no way to compare those two.

Driving through the city was amazing. Even though it was already dark the whole streets were illuminated by the lights that seemed to come from everywhere. Flashes of different colored light made the buildings to a beautiful multi-colored canvas. The window buildings a perfect way to reflect the lights just as brightly as they shone from the LED screens.

Exiting the car Penelope entered the restaurant, immediately welcomed by all the employees as it was custom. It made the raven haired girl smile. She hand't been to a country that was as polite as Japan. Every time she was there she fell even more in love with it.

When she stated her name the barista was lead to a secluded room. Mr. Takahashi and Mrs. Yamamoto were already waiting for her. But to her surprise they weren't the only ones sitting on the tatami mattresses. Amelia De Luca was also present. Without Ivy.

Using the minimal Japanese she was able to speak she greeted everyone and took a seat next to the blonde after ridding herself of her heels.

“Miss De Luca has informed us that the two of you have already met a couple of days ago.”, the business woman inquired.

“Yes we have. It's a pleasant surprise to see her with us tonight as well.”, Penelope smiled politely, giving the girl sitting next to her a nod.

“Mr. Takahashi was talking with my parents about their business and when they mentioned that I was currently with you he was so kind to invite me along.”, Amelia explained.

“That's right. I wanted to use the opportunity to get to know Amelia since she has been greatly involved with the business as of lately.”, he nodded with a smile.

The dinner proceeded well. The food was heavenly and everyone was starting to warm up to the other people sitting at the table. There were no contracts to discuss, if there were it would have been in private, so there was no pressure on anyone. The night was simply used for schmoozing and Penelope felt confident about her progress.

As previously hoped Mr. Takahashi suggested going to one of his favorite bars in Roppongi.

After a couple of hours there was only Amelia and Penelope left. The two business people had left about half an hour ago, excusing themselves early because they had to get up at an ungodly hour so they could have a conference call with some partners in the States.

The blonde was more than buzzed and the barista was far away from being sober as well.

“So where did you leave Ivy?”, Penelope was curious. After all the two girls were supposed to travel together and she hadn't heard any news from the brunette yet.

“Why? Already missing you ex?”, Amelia teased, slurring her words a little bit.

Rolling her eyes the barista shook her head: “We both know I'm glad she's not here.”

“Her stay in China got prolonged. Apparently your win has caused a lot of issues for her family and she is needed there for a while longer. She'll join us in Bangkok again though.”, the other girl informed her.

Penelope couldn't be more thrilled about the news. Not only did she not have to see Ivy for her entire stay in Tokyo, which was only two days but still, but she also had more alone time with the blonde.

“To more time without my ex then.”, she clinked her glass with Amelia's, “So now that we're alone how about you tell me more about you? The last time we talked I was the only one to open up about their love life.”

The blonde chuckled and took another sip of her beverage: “There isn't much to tell. My love life has been on pause for way too long.”

“Why is that? You're gorgeous and not a bitch.”, the raven haired girl furrowed her eye brows.

“Thanks”, the girl laughed heartily, “The thing is that I've been keeping busy. I hadn't had the time to go out on dates and to be honest I don't think I'm ready yet. When my last boyfriend and I broke up a bit over half a year ago I was devastated. We had been together for four years and it's been difficult for me to start looking for someone new.”

Penelope knew what the blonde meant. It was always hard to move on from something that meant so much at one point.

“I get that.”, she replied, downing the last of her drink at once.

“Wow. I can't imagine you being heartbroken over Ivy.”, Amelia commented.

That made the barista laugh. Of course she would assume that Penelope understood her because of the brunette since she had been her last girlfriend, but she couldn't be more off.

“I wasn't talking about Ivy. As bad as it sounds but she was a re-bound? We had fun times and there was something between us. Though I have to admit that I'm not sure if I was in love with Ivy. I loved her in some way for sure, but it wasn't the real deal.”

“That sounds like an interesting story. Care to elaborate?”, Amelia questioned as she ordered the two of them new drinks.

“Maybe. After you tell me the story of your last boyfriend?”

“You got yourself a deal.”, the blonde smiled and started to talk about her past relationship. 

They had been inseparable and had completed each other. They were from the same world so there had been no issues with their parents and everyone had gotten along marvelously. Amelia even opened up about thinking that he was the one she would spend the rest of her life with. But it had gotten down hill from the moment that her boyfriend decided to move across the continent for a job. The two had tried long distance but it had been difficult and with time they had drifted apart.

“At least I got closure.”, Amelia sighed, “He flew to visit me just so we could have a proper break up talk about everything. We still love each other. However that doesn't change the fact that if we had continued our relationship it would have turned into something toxic and we both wanted to remember us in a good light.”

“I'm sorry. Something like this is always tough.”, Penelope gave her a supportive smile, squeezing her hand.

“I know. But enough about me. What about the person you were in love with before Ivy?”

Penelope looked down. The last time she had mentioned her name had been when she had talked to Landon about it after their sudden split. Her best friend had been there for her while she had cried herself to sleep night after night. He was probably the only reason she had been able to get out of bed and go to school. The barista was eternally grateful for him and everything he had done for her in those tough times. So talking to the blonde about her would definitely be hard. She had gotten over her, that she was sure of, but unlike the girl in front of her closure hadn't been a privilege she had been given.

“Maeve. That was her name. We kind of dated in high school. And I'm saying kind of because she wanted us to keep it a secret. Maeve was still in the closet and wasn't comfortable with being out and proud. I understood that so I said that I was fine with it. But at one point I was so in love with her that that just wasn't enough for me anymore. We couldn't go anywhere together since she was afraid people would start talking. So one day it all stopped. She stopped replying to my texts and ignored me at school. I was heartbroken and I didn't understand why we couldn't at least try to be friends or just talk things out. Maybe there were too many feelings involved already that that was impossible. However I would have still liked it if she had been in my life at least a little bit.”

Penelope sighed. Talking about Maeve was bringing up a lot of past hurt.

“What happened?”, Amelia asked tentatively, afraid she was pushing too much.

Taking a deep breath the barista continued: “Well I got together with Ivy. I tried to move on and it did work. Partly. Seeing her every day was hard but I had to accept her decision despite not knowing why things ended the way they did. But the worst part was that just before graduation she started to see this one girl. Officially. It broke my heart all over again. I asked myself why what we had hadn't been enough. It took me months to come to terms with the fact that it wasn't my fault. Maeve was the one who had to be ready and with me she just wasn't. Still we didn't resolve things and just went our separate ways.”

“I'm so sorry that you had such an experience P.”, the blonde said with a compassionate look on her face.

“It's alright. I wished we had talked it out but I can't change the past. At least she made me start poetry.”, Penelope chuckled sadly.

“I heard you are quite the writer.”

“The only sparks in my eyes are the lights as a reflection in the tears of my affection.”, Penelope mumbled, “That was the first thing I ever wrote about her.”

“Damn.”, was all Amelia said, unsure of how to proceed.

“I'm okay now. But she's the reason why I'm so cautious with my heart.”, the raven haired girl admitted.

“And the reason why you left Josie?”, Amelia wanted to know.

“No. Maeve is so different from her. What I feel for Josie is so much more. Maeve just taught me how to have respect for myself. I took this opportunity because it was the best decision for both Josie and me.”

“I really hope everything works out for the two of you.”, the blonde smiled.

“Yeah me too.”

 

Josie, Lizzie and Hope were finally at the mall. They would only have a couple of hours since they all had classes in the late afternoon, but they were determined to use the time as much as possible.

Hope had texted Landon to join them and the three girls were currently waiting for him in front of one of the stores.

“Hey girls.”, he greeted them with a smile, giving Hope a kiss on the cheek which made her blush a cute color of crimson.

Whenever the brunette saw the two of them together she felt happy. Her best friend deserved someone like Landon. Someone who would show her how incredible she was and that she deserved the best.

The group of four entered the first store and immediately Lizzie went crazy with picking out different outfits, determined to try on as many as possible in the time they had. The blonde had always been the fashionista and the joy it brought her was amazing. Josie had always thought that her sister would go into the industry and become a model, but her twin had decided on going to college and taking the same classes as her. With a goal to work at a fashion magazine which Josie thought was just as great. Even though the path to becoming a model was still something she could imagine Lizzie taking.

Landon advised Hope on what to try on while the college girl strolled around the store, unsure of what exactly she was looking for. There were a couple of items she could envision Penelope wearing.

If she had more in her bank account Josie would definitely contemplate buying a gift for the raven haired girl. But then again she wanted something more special for the barista. Clothes were nice, there was no doubt about that, however there were better gifts for someone she had feelings for.

“Hey Josie.”, she heard Landon behind her.

Turning around the brunette was met with the shy smiling best friend of Penelope.

“Landon. I'm really glad you came today. As is Hope like you probably already know.”, Josie winked at him.

“Yeah”, he chuckled, “I just wanted to say that I like you.”

Josie furrowed her eye brows in confusion, not sure what to make of that statement.

“Oh no! Not like that. I can see how that might have sounded.”, he was quick to correct himself, “I meant as in for P. I know you two have been in contact. We have been talking through voice messages so we're both up to date with everything going on in our lives. Of course her life is more exciting. After all the most interesting thing in my life was that one of our regulars at the coffee shop changed their usual. But what I'm trying to say is that I wanted you to know that I think you two are good for each other. She might not admit it, but leaving for that business trip was super tough for her. She really likes you you know?”

Smiling fondly the college girl replied: “I really like her too Landon. I don't know if Hope has talked to you about this, but I have been working on myself a lot ever since she left. Penelope deserves the best and because of her I want to be better. Not just for her. Also for myself. I think that's what she has been trying to tell me all along. That I need to be happy with myself and my life before I can commit to her.”

“That's P. When I met her we were still in high school. I was new to everything and she took me under her wing without coddling me. At first I didn't understand why she didn't help me out in certain situations. However with time I realized that the mean clique would have eaten me alive if it hadn't been for the fact that I had to stand up for myself. P was my best friend who let me fight my own battles. Of course I always had her support, but the actual fighting I had to do on my own. That's how I earned my stay in our world. She knew exactly what she had to do to make me the strongest person I could be at the time. She doesn't tell you what to do. She lets you figure that out with her support. I honestly don't know a better person.”

Josie smiled. The way Landon talked about his best friend reminded her a lot of how she felt about Hope and Lizzie.

“Are you going to ask Hope to be your girlfriend any time soon?”, she changed the topic.

Landon blushed and shrugged.

“If you want I could help you set something up?”, the brunette suggested.

“I'd love that. Thank you.”, the guy said happily, “And if you want I could help you set up a surprise for P? The stuff you've been looking at is not your style. It's Penelope's. So if I'm not wrong you want to do something special for her?”

“Yeah. Your plan sounds good.”, Josie agreed.

The rest of the day was spend at different stores and at the food court. Later the three girls brought Landon back to the coffee shop for his shift and then went to class.

 

Penelope spent her last day in Tokyo wandering through the different streets in Shibuya. It was one of her favorite places in the city. There was just such a vast diversity of different areas in this one part of town. It truly inspired her to walk through the alleys and soak in all the creativity they displayed.

Instead of going to a super expensive restaurant the raven haired girl decided on taking the train a bit outside of the center. She got her late lunch from a tiny sushi booth near the train station. Never would she have done that in the States, but the barista had figured out that even the smallest stores in Tokyo made better sushi than some of the well liked and visited restaurants back home.

Carrying her lunch Penelope, only looking at Google Maps from time to time, made her way down to the Tamagawa River. The buildings she had walked by on her way to the river had been modern ones as well as more traditional ones. Even though the two styles could have clashed, they didn't. It was a pretty mixture of both and the sun bathed everything in a warm and beautiful light.

Sitting down on the grass next to the stream she enjoyed her food. It was hot and humid but thankfully Penelope wasn't bothered by that kind of weather. Plus she had the appropriate attire.

There were a couple of people standing by the water or walking their dogs. It was a peaceful place to be at and the raven haired girl was glad that she had decided to come here.

When she was done she made her way to one of the baseball stadiums where she met Amelia. Penelope had insisted on going to watch a game. Baseball was quite popular in Japan and she liked the sport. The blonde had reluctantly agreed to join her since she knew nothing of the sports. However Penelope had assured her that she would teach her the basics so she as well could enjoy the game.

Throughout the entire game the two girls had fun and got to know each other even better. The players played good and there were some exciting moments. 

So when they made their way back to their hotels and Penelope fell into her bed she was content. Having a complete day to herself had been amazing and she couldn't have imagined a better way to use her last day in Tokyo. Tomorrow around noon she would be on a flight to her last destination for the business trip. After Bangkok she would be on her way back home. Back to Josie.

 

Since Josie would be working on one of her assignments during most of the weekend Landon and her had decided to meet up on Friday at his place after she was done with classes.

When the guy opened the door and let the brunette in she was a bit overwhelmed. Josie couldn't help but stare at the kitchen island. Flashes of Penelope kissing her shot through her mind and suddenly she felt a little hot all over. The intensity of their make out session that had carried them from the kitchen to the sofa replayed in front of her eyes and made a pleasurable shiver run down her spine.

“Do you have a glass of cold water?”, she asked Penelope's best friend innocently, trying her best to push the images to the side.

“Sure.”, he grinned and got her a glass of water as the two took seats on the bar stools.

Being back at the apartment made Josie reminisce about the raven haired girl. She had been so close to be with her and then she had gone and messed it up. Looking back the brunette couldn't fathom why on earth she didn't see it sooner. How much depth her feelings for Penelope were. However she was also painfully aware of her stubbornness and her delusional believe that she always got what she wanted. No matter how badly she treated people. God had Josie been wrong.

“So since P is coming back on Sunday have you been giving your surprise any thoughts already?”, Landon brought her back to reality.

“I have. I wanted it to be something personal you know? So I've been thinking what I'm good at. I came up with dancing and Lizzie told me to do a strip tease. Before you say anything I already shot that idea down. That's definitely not what I should be doing at this point. Then I thought about taking her somewhere. However she has been traveling the entire week and she is probably exhausted so that idea was off the table as well. Another thought was throwing her a party with some of my friends from college, but to be honest I'm not ready to be that open about it yet and I'm sure Penelope wouldn't encourage me to do that as well. So my final idea was to do something that meant something to the both of us.”, Josie filled Landon in on her train of thoughts.

“Wow you really have been thinking about this. So what's the final idea?”

“Kind of a date. A special one. I'm going to keep the details to myself but I do need your help with one thing.”, the brunette said, giving him an apologetic look.

“What do you need?”

“A hoodie. The one she gave me the night of the gala. It's the black Off White one.”

“Alright I'll get it for you. And even though you're not going to enlighten me with your plans I have a pretty good idea what you're planning. She'll love it.”, Landon chuckled and left her in the kitchen to grab the piece of clothing Josie had asked him for.

She knew that Penelope's best friend was probably allowed to enter her room while she couldn't just go in without permission.

Once she had the hoodie she smirked: “So how are you doing with ideas on how to ask Hope to be your girlfriend?”

“She loves art. Has she told you about the day I took her to the art gallery?”

Josie nodded. The brunette vividly remembered how giddy her best friend had come back to their dorm room that day. Hope had rambled about how great Landon had been and how well he already knew her. It had been one of her favorites days and the fact that she had gotten to spend it with Landon had just made it even better.

“Okay.”, Landon smiled happily, “So what I've been thinking about is that I want it to have something artsy to it. I have been writing a song for her. Penelope, since she is the poet in our relationship, has promised me that she'd help with the wording so it sounds better. So I wanted us to go somewhere nice and private where I could perform that song to her and then ask her.”

“Wow. Why are we even meeting up. You've got a perfect idea. There is no way she won't say yes to you.”, Josie assured him, honestly impressed by how much thought and effort the guy had put into his idea.

“Well you needed me to get you that hoodie.”, Landon joked.

“That's true.”, the brunette laughed, “You want to get coffee and just hang out a little bit more before your shift starts?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”, Landon agreed.

Josie would have never thought that Landon and her would get along as well as they did. They had bonded at the mall and talking to him now, one on one, the brunette really understood why Hope and Penelope liked the guy so much. He was funny and great company.

The college girl couldn't wait for Penelope to be back. She had enjoyed the time with her sister, Hope and now Landon as well. But the raven haired girl not being around felt wrong. Like an important part was missing from her. She had never understood why in french 'I miss you' was translated to 'You're missing from me', but now she understood why they said it like that. Penelope was missing from her.

 

Penelope had never been to Bangkok before and was dying to explore the city. However she had to go from the hotel directly to a meeting with one of the Park's investors.

On her way to the building she got a text from her parents: “We wanted to give you a heads up. The investor will ask you about how we acquired certain information. We need you to assure him that everything was completely legal.”

The raven haired girl stared at the text and started to curse under her breath. The word 'assure' most definitely was an indicator that nothing about the acquirement had been legal. Of course she would have to be the one to convince the investor of that. Completely unprepared about what information and how her parents got it.

“This is great. Just marvelous!”, she hissed pissed off.

That was exactly the reason why she didn't want to get involved with the Park business in the first place. Insider trading and manipulation in all stages of business were normal in her world. No one ever got caught. Or well rarely anyone ever got caught. If the authorities could nail someone it was always a huge scandal. But Parks always come up on top. That's what the barista had been told all her life. And now she had an integral part to play in that.

Penelope knew that keeping her in the dark until the last minute had been a clever move from her parents. That way, since she would definitely be angry about it, she could portray being offended in the most realistic way. Her talking and persuasion skills would do the rest.

Knowing that didn't make it any better for the heir though. It just showed her again how her parents, how her world, operated. Why she didn't want any part of it.

If she was honest it surprised her why her parents would do this to her. They already knew how she felt about the family business. So why provoke her even more. The last couple of days had been great and she had somehow found it appealing to be a part of the Park company. This was absolutely counter-productive and she had no clue what her parents were playing at.

Penelope calmed herself and went inside the building to meet with the investor. This was going to be interesting.

Like she had been warned about he asked about it almost right away. Not wasting any time to cut to the chaste. Penelope knew that he had hoped that it would throw her off her game. To drop the question so out of the blue. But of course it didn't phase her. The raven haired girl was prepared. Surprisingly considering the short amount of time she had since been given the notice.

Gracefully Penelope maneuvered through his trick questions and inquiries, always keeping her head help up high. There was little she knew about how her parents got the information, but the investor filled in a few gaps, giving her the chance to figure out on her own what the Parks had done. She knew her parents and the way they worked. It might have taken an expert to figure it out, but Penelope was a Park. She didn't have to be an expert.

At the end of the meeting he was convinced that he could trust her parents and that he didn't have to pull out. The investor was at peace with his conscience and would not get nervous once asked about it. Mission accomplished for the barista.

Back at the hotel she told her parents that it was handled and received the praise she knew they would give her whenever she succeeded.

But it tasted bitter. Penelope had lied and deceived the man. Sure she had spared the Parks an unnecessary liability. Still that didn't help her feel any better about it.

The only ting that scared her was the rush she had been in during the meeting. The raven haired girl had gone all out with her manipulation skills. Understanding people was what she was good at. Playing them came easy to her. Just like it did to her dad.

And then realization hit her. The reason why her parents had sent her to this particular meeting had been so she could feel superior. So that she could know and feel the powerful position she was in.

“You are a Park. Embrace it.”, Penelope whispered, remembering all the times she had heard these words in her childhood.

All her events during the trip had been different. Each representing one of the many aspects of the Park business. The entire business trip had been a ploy to ease her into the family legacy.

Frustrated the barista texted Amelia and Ivy to meet her at one of the bars downtown in a couple of hours. Despite being furious with her parents Penelope still wanted to enjoy the city until she would drown her sorrows later tonight.

She banished all her dark thoughts and went out again. 

Bangkok was beautiful. The river in midst the many buildings was like an additional street. There were water taxis that got her to the sights of the city. The temples were breathtaking and managed to get her mind off of things.

Only as Penelope made her way to the bar Josie's face flashed before her eyes. The smile on the brunette's face when the two of them had danced on top of the roof top of the hotel the gala had been held at. It made her stop dead in her tracks.

Closing her eyes the raven haired girl took a deep breath. She was still buzzing with all sorts of emotions but picturing the college girl had a soothing effect on her. Tomorrow night she would be flying back home. Back to Landon and her normal job. Back to Josie.

Penelope smiled. She had chosen this life and despite her parents effort to corrupt her, that life and all it's people were her lifeline. As long as she had her best friend, her friends and Josie there was no risk of the barista following her family's path.

Her bond to them would help her listen to her own heart. The one that had been telling her from the beginning that she was better than that. That even though she was a Park it didn't mean that she had to follow in her parents footsteps.

Penelope knew that her emotions were what made her different. That with the gifts that came with being a Park combined with her feelings could make her something better. Someone she wanted to be. A good person that the raven haired girl was comfortable and proud to be.

And in this moment the longing to be back home was stronger than ever before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you thinking about Penelope's parents and Amelia now? How do you like the progress with Josie?  
> Posie reunion coming up next chapter!
> 
> I really hope I did the cities justice! Please comment if you're from one of them :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I am back! I'm sorry for the long wait, but my new semester just started and I was a bit busy and not exactly in the right mind set to write the chapter, but here you go :)
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one, cute Posie is coming!

Penelope was exhausted when she touched the ground in the States again. The past week had been tiring and she couldn't even put into words how grateful she was that Landon had texted her that he would pick her up from the airport.

Walking out of the exit she scanned the crowd for her best friend.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted Landon. Waving like an idiot and with an actual neon pink sign covered in glitter saying: “Welcome back P!” in his other hand he stood there waiting for her. It still amazed her how childish and what a completely idiot the guy could be. In the most adorable way of course.

Shaking her head Penelope hugged him tightly: “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too.”, he hugged her back, “That's why I made this wonderful sign. I know how you love pink and glitter that's why I put in the extra effort.”

Rolling eyes the raven haired girl smirked: “That was so thoughtful. And that's exactly why I got you this.”

Rummaging through her handbag she handed him a large bag of licorice. Landon hated it and ever since the barista had found about his dislike for it she had pulled pranks on him that had him eating licorice. Her best friend's gagging whenever she tricked him into eating it was too hilarious.

“Wow P that is just so very nice of you.”, the guy playfully glared at her.

Penelope grinned at him and felt lucky that she had a best friend that she could be like this with. Together they walked to his car and got in.

The drive was spent with Landon telling her about his idea on how to ask Hope to be his girlfriend. It was the latest news and he had therefore not told her yet. His idea was really good and the barista was happy that Landon felt so deeply about the girl that he had went to the lengths he did with his planning.

“She's going to love this.”, Penelope commented with a soft smile.

“I really hope so. I also ran it by Josie since she's one of Hope's best friends and she basically told me the same thing.”, Landon nodded with a happy grin.

“You talked to Josie?”, the raven haired girl piped up, caught off guard with the mention of the beautiful brunette.

Her heart had skipped a beat at the mention of Josie. It seemed to become a habit and Penelope was very aware of that. The brunette had really captured her interest and was slowly making her way into her heart.

Now that she was back in town she couldn't help but wonder when she would run into the college girl. Of course she wanted to see her as soon as possible. However the barista didn't know what they were at the moment nor how things would be between them after everything that had happened and being away for an entire week.

It was kind of nerve-wrecking to not know for sure. But judging from their texts and the phone call it wouldn't be bad. Or at least the raven haired girl hoped so.

Landon shot her a knowing smirk: “Yeah Josie and I really bonded after you left.”

He was teasing her, still even the thought bothered Penelope. Being jealous was a bit out of character for her and quite frankly she knew that it was ridiculous. That rational knowledge didn't help her though.

“Is that so?”, she tried to hide the snarl in her voice.

At that her best friend broke out in laughter: “Oh my god P! Are you jealous? That's absolutely adorable.”

“It's not adorable.”, she pressed the last word as if it weirded her out.

“You're not the jealous type and here you are being all possessive. I guess Josie really has a hold on you.”, Landon continued to tease her, “But in all seriousness. I like her. She's nice and I truly think you'd be cute together.”

“Whatever.”, Penelope said, but couldn't hide the small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Hearing her best friend being so supportive about whatever relationship she had with the taller girl was warming her heart and fueling her determination to work things out with her.

The rest of the drive was them listening to music and when they finally made it into their apartment the raven haired girl immediately fell down on the couch in the living room.

Just as she was about to close her eyes Landon yelled: “Don't fall asleep! It's not even 11am so you better stay awake.”

“I'm just resting my eyes.”, Penelope yelled back annoyed.

If she were on her own she would totally sleep for a couple of hours and keep her sleeping schedule messed up. But Landon would never let her. He was more reasonable than the barista when it came to sleep and that kind of stuff. He would always make sure that Penelope got adjusted as quickly as possible. Sometimes she envied him for that perseverance. However most of the times it was just a pain in her ass.

Penelope knew he would yell at her again if she didn't sit up so she did. Leaning back into the soft material and doing her best to keep her eyes open. Which was harder than one might think. Jet lags were probably only rivaled by the sleep deprivation one felt during boring classes.

“Here.”, Landon nudged her and handed her two cans of RedBull.

“Thank you. You picked them up especially for this moment right?”, the barista asked him thankful.

“Yeah. You know I hate this stuff but I know how this works way better than black coffee for you and you prefer to drink this horrible stuff in masses over masses of coffee.”, Landon scrunched up his face to show the disgust as he held one of Penelope's favorite drinks.

“You're the best.”, she smiled and gulped down the sweet drink.

Just the taste of it made her more awake than she was a second before. She was aware that she shouldn't drink too many energy drinks, but two cans would surely be okay. Maybe even three or four. Whatever she needed to do to not fall asleep until the evening.

“So do you want to watch a movie or would you rather go out and do something so you don't pass out from exhaustion?”, Landon asked her.

Penelope didn't know if she should feel bad for the first thought that crossed her mind. All she wanted to do was to see Josie. To talk to her. To just be in her presence again and be intoxicated by the wave of emotions that always washed over her when the brunette was close.

 

Josie hadn't slept well that night. Penelope would be back in the morning and that seemed to preoccupy her brain so much that the brunette only drifted in and out of sleep for the entire duration of the night. Her body was buzzing with nerves and anticipation of seeing the raven haired girl again.

Around eight the college girl gave up on trying to get her beauty sleep and decided to go for a short run to clear her head.

Putting in her headphones she blasted her favorite bops and started jogging on the track of the college. It was rather cool outside but luckily for her exercising kept her from feeling cold.

Usually running always helped Josie to focus on nothing but the task at hand. For some reason it didn't work now. Different scenarios of how them seeing each other for the first time again were playing in front of her inner eye and distracted her so much that she almost stumbled over her own feet a couple of times.

Finally giving up on that activity as well Josie went back to the dorm and took a long hot shower. The water coming down on her calmed her a little bit more than her previous attempts at soothing her nerves.

When she went back to sit on her bed and watch something on Netflix Hope stirred and looked at her sleepily.

“You're up early. Penelope is coming back today right?”, she asked, suppressing a yawn.

Josie nodded and voiced the thoughts that had been plaguing her for too long now: “Yeah. She already landed but I haven't gotten a text from her. Should I text her? When should I take her on that surprise date I have planned? I mean she's probably really tired.”

Hope chuckled and snuggled into her bed again: “Jesus Josie just text her. You're not in kindergarten anymore. Go get your girl.”

With that the brunette just closed her eyes again and drifted back into a restful sleep again.

Josie groaned. Lizzie was still sleeping, Hope just continued to get some more sleep and here she was worrying about the barista. She should really grow some balls. Especially since she had been making such good progress over the last couple of days.

Determined to not chicken out of texting her the brunette opened Penelope's chat and started typing: “Hope you're back safe and sound. How are you holding up with your jet lag?”

After less than a minute her phone buzzed: “RedBull is the way to go. Are you free right now? I wouldn't mind you coming by my place and helping me stay awake.”

There was nothing sexual about this text and Josie knew that. Still she felt a sensation shoot through her body. Penelope was asking her to come to her apartment. The same place that was loaded with intense memories shared by the two of them.

Sure Landon would be there too, but that didn't change the fact that she would be around the raven haired girl in a cozy environment.

“On my way.”, Josie replied and threw on her soft beige leather jacket.

The brunette had to restrain herself from jogging over. Arriving at Penelope's door step sweaty and out of breath was definitely not how she wanted the other girl to see her again for the first time in over a week. So she slowed down her pace and took deep and steady breaths to calm her racing heart beat.

When she was at the door step she rang the bell. Josie had managed to not be sweaty. However the moment Penelope opened the door she forgot how to breathe. If she hadn't been standing the brunette would have definitely stopped dead in her tracks.

It wasn't even that the barista was dressed up. Quite the opposite really. Penelope was wearing sweatpants and a loose hoodie. Still she was beyond beautiful. The smile on her face and the happy glint in her green eyes just elevated her natural beauty.

“Hey Jojo.”, the raven haired girl greeted her, the smile not darkened by the rings under her eyes.

Instead of replying Josie stepped forward and pulled the other girl into a hug. She wasn't sure if she had forgotten how to speak. What she did know was that she had missed Penelope. Having her standing right in front of her was like a weight she didn't know had been on her shoulders was being lifted.

“Glad to know I was missed.”, the barista teased, but pulled Josie even closer when the taller girl wanted to let go of their embrace.

Just this small gesture made Josie close her eyes in pure bliss. She finally had her girl back. Or rather hopefully soon to be her girl.

“Are you guys making out or what the hell is taking so long?”, the brunette heard Landon yell from the living room.

Chuckling Penelope took a step back and replied with just as much volume: “Actually it's Hope and we're really BONDING right now.”

Josie raised an eye brow when the raven haired girl turned her attention back to the taller girl.

“Don't worry about it. It's about something he said earlier.”, the barista told her and stepped aside so the college girl could come inside.

Landon was chilling on the coach with a coffee in his hands. When he saw Josie enter with Penelope he smirked. The brunette could tell that the guy wasn't sure if it really had been Hope at the door. But as soon as he recognized Josie he chuckled and sent his best friend a look. It was still confusing for the college girl what the comment at the door had been about, but apparently it really had been an insider joke between the two baristas.

“I'll go and run some errands.”, Landon said and stood up, placing his empty mug in the sink.

“What errands?”, Penelope asked him confused, but Josie smiled. It was obvious what he was trying to do.

They guy hugged the barista and whispered, loud enough for the brunette to hear as well: “You can thank me later.”

With that he was out of the door and the raven haired girl was left alone with Josie.

“Did he just ditch me so we could hang out alone?”, Penelope questioned, still stunned by the abrupt leave of Landon.

“Yes”, the taller girl chuckled, “For someone who is so good with people that really did take you a long time.”

The raven haired girl narrowed her eyes at her playfully: “Are you making fun of me?”

“Oh wow”, Josie continued teasing, “Are you sure that you're okay? These are a lot of questions about people's behavior you could have easily picked up upon before your trip. Did you hit your head or something?”

Penelope faked being shocked, mouth in an o-shape and placing her hand over hear heart to show how offended she was by Josie's implication. Carefully the barista took a few steps towards the brunette who was in anticipation of what the other girl would do next. 

Unlike Penelope Josie wasn't as skilled with prediction what people would do next. Sure she was great at making people like her, even if it took longer than usual with the barista, but foreseeing actions had never been her strong suit.

“I completely blame my sleep deprivation. I am obviously not in my right mind.”, the raven haired girl stated, “Maybe you should leave me so I can rest. Now that Landon is gone so is the sleep police.”

There was nothing mean to the way she said it, still her response threw Josie off.

“Now that was just mean.”, the brunette pouted.

She could see how Penelope quickly narrowed her eyes for a split second, the way she always did whenever she needed to make sure if the person opposite of her was still joking or was actually offended now. It was adorable and the brunette had to fight the smile that was starting to appear on her face.

Rolling her eyes the barista replied cheekily: “Well in that case let me tell you how deeply sorry I am for that.”

“Deeply sorry huh? What will you do to make it up to me?”, Josie smirked.

Despite biting her lip Penelope couldn't contain the smile that crept onto her lips. Closing the distance even more, she reached up and put a loose strand of hair behind Josie's ear. Keeping her hand on the brunette's face after.

Josie was sure that there was no longer oxygen in the apartment because breathing seemed to be impossible. She stood there, rooted to the ground, unable to look anywhere else than into the green eyes of the raven haired girl that were pulling her in.

When Penelope leaned in to whisper something in her hear Josie was concerned that she wouldn't be able to understand a single words that would fall from the other girls lips due to her loud and rapid heart beat.

“How about a cup of coffee and you choose what we'll watch on Netflix.”

With that the barista took a step back, spun around and sauntered towards the coffee machine.

Josie was left gaping at her.

“You coming?”, Penelope asked innocently.

“You have to stop doing that.”, the brunette muttered and followed her into the kitchen where Penelope only smirked at her triumphantly.

“Why? It's so much fun and to be honest you're face is absolutely priceless.”, she said, “Every. Single. Time.”

“Why do I like you?”, the college girl thought out loud and sat down on one of the bar stool with a sigh.

The barista pushed a few buttons before turning around to face the brunette again: “I'm just a magnetic person I guess.”

Penelope was being a lot more confident right now and Josie had to admit that it was a huge turn on for her. The raven haired girl was teasing her more than usual. But it wasn't like it was at the beginning where she always shut the taller girl down. Nor was it like it was once they had gotten closer and there had been a lot of sexual tension.

Of course there was still sexual tension between the two of them. However there was now also more to it. Almost like their banter now also communicated the affection they held for each other and the comfortableness they felt with the other person.

Josie's chocolate brown eyes locked with Penelope's green orbs again. Holding her breath the brunette reached for the barista's hand, the other girl tightening her hold and pulling the taller girl from her seat so she stood closer to her. Slowly the college girl ran her fingers up her forearm, touch featherlight, sending a visible shiver through the raven haired girl.

“See magnetic.”, Penelope whispered.

Smiling softly Josie interlocked her hands behind the shorter girls neck and pulled her in a tight hug, which the barista immediately reciprocated.

“I missed you.”, the brunette mumbled and closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth and closeness of Penelope.

“I missed you too Jojo.”

The two girls didn't break their embrace, content with having the other one physically back in their life. They only broke apart when the coffee machine went of, signaling that Josie's beverage was ready.

“So what have you decided to watch?”, Penelope asked her, a slight blush gracing her cheeks.

“Bandersnatch.”, the college girl replied, happy that she had that effect on the barista.

“You haven't played it yet?”, the raven haired girl was surprised, “And to be honest that choice is not exactly what I had expected.”

“No and what did you expect? Something that's more light?”, the brunette laughed.

“Yes.”, Penelope chuckled, “So why Bandersnatch?”

“Well I've heard that the first choice is wether to have Sugar Puffs or Frosties for breakfast. I think we should know what the other one would choose before we continue whatever this is.”, Josie smirked and gave her a wink.

“Oh god, this is really gonna make or break us.”, the barista joked and intertwined her hand with Josie's, “Let's hope you have taste. But considering you like me I have high hopes for this.”

Giving Penelope a light shove the brunette shook her head: “You're absolutely unbelievable, you know that right?”

“I do.”, she blew her a kiss and pulled the taller girl, who was continuing to shake her head, to the couch and the huge TV.

 

Penelope could tell that Josie liked her confident side and she was relieved by the brunette's reaction to it. Ever since her business trip, or rather her involvement in her parents' company, the raven haired girl was getting more and more sure of herself and her talents. Being good at what she was supposed to do gave her an ego boost. She had missed feeling that good about herself and she intended to use the confidence she was feeling at the moment. Put it into working things out with the college girl and into her writing.

Looking at the girl sitting next to her she felt happiness wash over her. The moment she had opened the door it felt like summer had walked into her apartment. Josie made her feel like she would feel on a gorgeous summer day. Excited for what was to come. Warm on the inside and outside. Like the world was hers to take.

When she had left Penelope would have never thought that her feelings for the brunette were as strong as they were. She had been aware that she had started to develop feelings for the taller girl, but never that they actually ran as deep as they did.

“Penny for your thoughts.”, the other girl smiled fondly at her, breaking her out of her train of thoughts.

“I'm just really glad that you're here.”, the barista answered honestly, but quickly added, “But I'm also concerned about the choices you're going to make.”

Josie laughed light-heartedly: “Afraid you were getting too corny?”

Penelope rolled her eyes. The college girl had changed since the last time they had spend time together. In a good way. The brunette seemed to be more at ease and as if she felt a bit lighter. It was obvious in the new way she held herself. As if an invisible weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

“You seem happier.”, the raven haired girl changed the topic.

That baffled Josie. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she managed to ask: “What do you mean?”

“It's just a feeling I have. I might be off though, since apparently I bumped my head or something.”, she gave her a wink, remembering what the brunette had commented earlier.

Josie smirked, but then got more serious: “I feel better. I don't exactly know why. However I guess it has something to do with the fact that I've been working on being more honest with myself. I try to no longer let the expectations I had dictate how I live my life. Basically I think I've realized that even though I thought that with this plan I had mapped out for myself I'd bee in control, but it was the complete opposite, it threw me off course. Circumstances change so forcing an outdated plan to work just simply doesn't work.”

Now it was Penelope's turn to be stunned. She hadn't expected the other girl to dive into it like she did. It surprised her in the best way. Despite going on that business trip to give Josie the time to figure things out, the barista hadn't thought that the brunette would take such huge steps. It was impressive.

“Damn Jojo. That was honestly wise and I'm really proud of you.”, she said earnestly.

A happy smile spread across Josie's face. The way she was looking at the raven haired girl made her freeze. There was such joy and affection displayed that it made the barista blush.

“You know I'm really glad we're here together now too. You've head such a positive impact on me and my life. You have no idea how grateful I am for having you in my life.”, the college girl looked straight at her, “And I've been wondering, if you're still up for it after the movie, if you would like to go on a date with me?”

Penelope hadn't expected being asked out so soon. Not that she was complaining. She had just been prepared to give the brunette more time. Altogether everything she had seen and heard of the college girl from the moment on she had greeted her at the door had surprised her.

“I'd love to go on a date with you.”, she smiled and Josie grinned back at her.

“Great.”

With that the two girls averted their attention to the TV and put the movie on. To nobody's surprise Josie and Penelope didn't agree all the time. However the pair always reached an agreement on time to click on one of the two choices.

Once the movie was done the brunette turned the television off and faced the barista. There was a certain spark in her eyes. Judging from her giddy state and the passionate way of her involvement in the movie it was safe to assume that Josie had been positively surprised by Bandersnatch.

“Spill.”, the raven haired girl encouraged her to go first on expression her feelings and thoughts on what they just watched.

“I absolutely loved the concept even though it was kind of scary when you think about it. I mean basically it was all about the illusion of free will and that we have a choice when we actually don't. And once you internalize that it can definitely drive you a bit mad. Imagine truly finding out or believing that it's all a huge set-up and we have no control whatsoever.”, the brunette began to ramble.

“I agree. After all we as a supposed decision-maker were shown after merely a few minutes that despite being promised that we can make decisions that affect the story that it was a blatant lie as well. It only kind of controlled in what order or what scenes we got to see and experience. If I'm being honest it was brilliant, but also super depressing.”, Penelope replied.

“Do you believe that we only have an illusion of free will and choice in real life?”, Josie wanted to know.

“Well to a certain degree definitely yes. There are so many factors, besides ourselves, that pull strings and maybe there even is something like a god or fate or whatever. I don't really want to get into that discussion now though since we could argue about that for forever. But what I can say is that I think that we get presented with various opportunities, which might be predetermined, but which one we choose is up to us and shapes our character and what else is going to happen next. I refuse to believe that I have no control whatsoever.”

“That's good.”, the taller girl nodded thoughtfully, “I don't want to believe that I'm just along for the ride as well. And I can certainly say that I feel like I have some kind of freedom. Maybe I'm not enlightened enough to realize that I don't. But then again do you want to be? I mean you can see what happens to your mind when that's the case.”

“Knowledge can be power and a curse.”, Penelope chuckled.

“Wise words Miss Park.”, Josie grinned, the mood suddenly less serious again.

“Well I am a wise woman Miss Saltzman.”, the barista winked.

“You must be because you agreed to a date with my awesome and sparkling personality.”, Josie smirked.

The raven haired girl had thought that she would 'win' their banter, but the brunette really got that one in the bag. Penelope hadn't expected her to actually have a come-back for the last one, now she was no longer prepared for any other witty remark.

“I let you have this one”, the barista smiled while shaking her head in amusement until something hit her.

“What is it?”, the college girl asked a bit worried.

“You used to bring lines like this and now I'm actually going on a date with you. I feel like I lost our game.”, Penelope laughed.

However it subsided quickly when she saw the hurt flash across the other girl's beautiful features.

“But I've won something far greater than that silly game. And I guess, at least for me, it stopped being a game weeks ago. The moment on that roof top where I started liking you. And now I like you like A LOT.”, the barista was quick to add.

“Good safe.”, Josie narrowed her eyes at her, “But speaking of the roof top. I've got something planned. Meet me there in thirty?”

“I can't wait.”

 

Josie was on the roof top. Penelope would be here any second and her nerves were sky-rocketing. Everything was in place and she was really hoping that the raven haired girl would like what she had planned. The brunette had put in some serious thought and even though she knew that the barista would appreciate it she hoped that it would be perfect.

There were blankets so the ground was more comfortable to sit on. Two large containers of coffee from Penelope's coffee shop were standing next to a huge pizza and a music box. The hoodie Landon hat gotten for her was hidden away in her handbag that was in the corner of the roof top.

Lost in thoughts, checking if all the items were in their supposed place Josie didn't hear the raven haired girl approach.

“Hey you. That's quite the set up you have here.”, Penelope's voice startled her, making her spin around faster than anticipated and ending in her stumbling.

But the barista was quick to steady her, sending her a smirk: “Easy there tiger. You don't want to hurt yourself.”

“Yeah I guess that would be a bad start”, Josie chuckled nervously, “Wait did you change?”

Still holding onto the brunette Penelope laughed: “Did you want me to go out with sweatpants and a hoodie? I thought I'd dress a bit better than that for our first date.”

“Right”, the college girl ran her fingers through her long hair, “Well you would have looked great with whatever you had decided on wearing.”

“Oh so you're the flattery kind of date?”, the other girl was enjoying her shaky state way too much.

“Just shut up Penelope.”, Josie gave her an unconvincing glare.

“I take that back, you're the asshole kind of date.”, the barista couldn't stop teasing.

“Alright that's it, I'm eating this entire pizza on my own.”, she said and wanted to turn around, just to be spun back by the other girl. Landing right in her arms.

The cheekiness had vanished from Penelope's face and was replaced by affection. Even though she had Josie's full attention again, she held her close. Staring silently into her eyes. All the brunette wanted to do was lean down and close the gap between them. But right now wasn't the right moment.

“I'm sorry babe. Teasing you is just so easy.”

Babe. Penelope Park had just called her 'babe'. Josie was near having a panic-attack and tried her best not to show it. However by the smirk that was plastered across the barista's face she knew that she was failing miserably. She probably looked like a deer caught in the headlights of some gigantic truck.

“Shall we?”, the raven haired girl finally restrained herself from giving the girl an even harder time.

“Please.”, she sighed relieved and huffed out the breath she was holding. 

Her nerves were now calmer than they had been for the past half an hour. Penelope was here with her on their first date. There was no reason to be worried. The brunette and the barista had already made out and had a rather big fight that ended with one of them going to Asia for a week. This date would be nothing compared to that. Josie didn't know why she was being so anxious about this. Then again the college girl knew exactly why her blood pressure was acting up so much. She was starting to fall for the girl now sitting across from her.

Conversation flowed easily and the raven haired girl showed her more pictures and videos from her travels. The way she spoke about the different cities and countries intrigued the brunette. Penelope was so confident and had already seen so much in her life. Listening to her talk was amazing and made Josie want to go there herself even more. She had never really thought about where in Asia she would go to if she had the chance so this was especially interesting for her.

Time flew by and the sun was starting to set. The pizza had been gone for a while now and the coffee cups were empty as well. Neither of the girls had realized how much time had passed and were surprised when it was suddenly rather chilly.

In contrast to Josie who was wearing a leather jacket Penelope was only wearing a thin cardigan and started to shiver slightly. Even though it wasn't part of her plan the brunette saw her opportunity to execute her plan perfectly. The weather had played into her cards and for the first time she was grateful for a lower temperature.

Smiling the taller girl stood up and walked over to her handbag, pulling out the other girl's hoodie that she had borrowed the night of the gala where she had been the one without the appropriate attire.

“Here.”, Josie handed the sweatshirt over to the barista who was looking at her a bit confused.

“Thank you, but how'd you get my hoodie? I'm quite certain that you gave me that one back before my trip.”

Instead of answering the brunette opted for turning on the music box that then started playing the same classical music that had played at the gala. Landon had helped her to find out which pieces the orchestra had performed that night and had spend hours trying to remember which pieces brought up the most memories with Penelope.

“May I have this dance?”, Josie offered the raven haired girl her hand. A smile graced her features as well as an raised eye brow that was daring her to figure out what she had intended to be this first date to be about.

 

The moment the music started playing a wave of emotions hit Penelope. She had always been that kind of person that easily connected melodies to certain events and feelings in her life. Whenever something big happened and music had been playing she would be reminded of that part in her life whenever she heard the tune again.

She looked down to the empty coffee cups, the logo of her work place printed on them. Her eyes then wandered to her left to the street beneath them and to her hoodie she was now wearing.

“You put our big memories in this date.”, Penelope realized with wide eyes, “The coffee, our spot, the hoodie I gave you at the gala and now the music they played.”

Josie's gesture was so thoughtful and it made her heart melt.

“Yes. I really wanted to do something special.”, the brunette looked down, all shy now.

“I love it and it'd be my pleasure to dance with you.”, the raven haired girl smiled.

She stood up and took Josie's hand, pulling her close, hand easily finding the taller girl's waist. The way they acted around each other was all so natural. Almost like they had been doing all of this for a lot longer than than it was the case.

The two girls swayed to the music. There were no words needed to be spoken, their closeness and the music sufficed to express everything they were feeling. Penelope had rarely met anyone she was able to be this comfortable with. But with the brunette in her arms it felt like this was exactly where she was supposed to be. The barista was content and at ease. She could have easily stayed with the college girl like this forever.

“You still haven't told me what that thing at your door was all about. The insider you have with Landon.”, Josie murmured, not needing to speak any louder with her head leaning against the side of Penelope's.

The raven haired girl chuckled lightly, feeling the taller girls smile on the side of her face: “He told me about how much he bonded with you while I was gone. Said he liked you and all.”

“Wait”, Josie stopped their movements and leaned back so she could look into the green eyes, “Are you telling me that you were jealous?”

Penelope could have seen that comment coming. After all that had been the case and there was no other explanation why she would have told Landon that Hope was at the door and she was having some quality time with the other brunette. Still it was different to tell Josie about it. After all it concerned her.

“Well”, she dragged it out, “I might have been a little bit.”

Admitting to having been jealous didn't come easy, but why lie about it. Penelope hated the thought of anyone else with the girl standing in front of her. She wanted to be the one to make her smile. To make her happy. To surprise and tease her. She wanted to be the one to love Josie and who was loved back just as much.

Chocolate brown eyes were looking at her intently and Penelope couldn't help but drown in them.

“Who would have thought that I'd get to see you jealous.”, Josie smirked.

Of course she would be smug about that and it looked like more teasing words would fall from the college girl's lips so the raven haired girl did the only thing she knew would shut the other girl up. The one thing she had been waiting to do since the moment Josie had showed up at her door step today. 

Penelope stood up on her tiptoes and connected her lips with the brunette's. Josie's lips were soft and after a short moment of surprise she kissed her back. It was slow and passionate. Both of them reveling in the feeling of the other one's lips on their own again.

The raven haired girl had missed kissing her. Missed the tingles that always spread like a wildfire from her lips through her entire body. It was crazy how much one kiss from the other girl could make her feel. Everything faded into the background. There was no roof top nor was there music. All there was was Josie and her.

When they separated again the taller girl was looking at her with a dazed look in her eyes.

“I needed to shut you up about this somehow.”, Penelope shrugged innocently.

“I'm all for letting people speak their mind, but if I get to be kissed by you I might make an exception every now and then.”, Josie replied, biting her lip.

“We should get going. The jet lag is hitting me again and it's gotten cold. We could hang out tomorrow if you're not too busy.”, the barista suggested, not really wanting to part.

“Definitely.”, the brunette agreed.

They gathered all the stuff and made their way back down to the ground. After throwing the empty pizza box and the coffee cups in the trash it was about time to say goodbye. They had to go into a different direction. Both had simultaneously offered to walk the other one home, but since neither the college girl nor the barista would budge the two girls had agreed on letting the one who had planned the date walk the other one home. That deal would settle any future disagreements they would have since both Josie and Penelope were sure about this not being their last date.

Interlocking their hands they made their way back to the barista's apartment.

 

“I guess I'll see you tomorrow then.”, the brunette said once the pair had arrived at their destination.

“I'll text you the details of my shift and maybe you could send me your schedule? That way I know when you're ditching class for me and I can drag your ass back to college so you get your education.”, the raven haired girl joked.

“Sounds like a plan.”, the girl chuckled, “Goodnight Penelope.”

Josie leaned down and captured her lips for the second time tonight. It was sweet, however there was an underlying neediness to this kiss. Letting the bag slip from her shoulder the taller girl placed her hands on the barista's waist pushing her back until she was backed against the door.

Before things got out of hand Josie forced herself to pull away again, Penelope chasing her lips. It made her smile that she had this effect on the girl she had been chasing for months now.

“You should really get some rest. I wouldn't want you to walk around like a zombie the upcoming days because you didn't get enough rest after all this traveling.”, she said and picked her bag back up.

“So galant.”, Penelope remarked, “I had an amazing time with you today. Thank you for everything. I have never had anyone do something this special for me. You sure set the bar high.”

Josie chuckled: “It was my pleasure. But seriously, sure I wanted to impress you, but most of all I wanted you to get a date that you deserve. You're extraordinary and I wanted to show you exactly how I feel about you.”

“You're pretty great too. Goodnight Jojo.”, the barista smiled and fished the keys for the apartment out of her pocket.

Just as she was about to enter her phone went of and after reading the message the raven haired girl smiled.

“What is it?”, Josie pushed the worries that smile was calling forward to the back of her mind.

“Amelia is coming to visit.”, Penelope informed her, “This is going to be so fun. I told her about you and Landon and everyone. And since we were getting along so well during the trip she decided that she would pay me a visit and meet all of you guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like the date and their 'new dynamic'? Any thoughts on Amelia visiting?
> 
> my twitter: @1penelopepark


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I've been dealing with a couple of things lately so it took me longer than usual to update.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter and it was worth the wait :)

Lizzie and Josie were sitting in class. The brunette had told her all about her date she had on the previous day with Penelope. The blonde had actually stayed up to wait for her twin to return to hear how everything went. Josie loved how supportive Lizzie was being and how it gave her all the confidence she needed to fight for what and who she wanted.

Hearing that Amelia would visit the barista wasn't exactly how she had imagined her night with the raven haired girl would end. However she knew that she had no reason to be worried or jealous. The girl was only a friend of Penelope's. Nothing more. Still she couldn't shake the sick feeling in her stomach. 

Judging by the way the other girl had talked about her when she was on her business trip in Asia just unsettled the college girl. The time they had spend together had sounded intimate and it was clear to see that Penelope trusted her new friend.

Josie knew that the barista didn't usually open up to people straightaway. After all it had taken her weeks to get a glimpse of who the raven haired girl was. So of course it had surprised the brunette to hear how much one on one time Penelope had initiated with the new girl.

Lizzie had told her not to overthink it and recall that when she had met the barista she hadn't been acting as her authentic self. That had eased Josie's mind to some degree and had replaced her worry with curiosity of how Amelia would be. How she would interact with the girl she was falling for. And above all if Penelope's new friend would like her.

Landon and her got along really well since of last week and had bonded and it made her happy. The guy was the barista's best friend and Josie wanted him to like her. She hadn't met many people who were in the raven haired girl's life and the ones she had met, apart from Landon, didn't like her. But then again Ivy and the rest of the people she had encountered at the gala weren't Penelope's favorites so it hadn't really mattered. Amelia on the other hand was her friend so the college girl really wanted the girl to like her.

Class was going by slowly. The brunette checked the time every five minutes but unsurprisingly that didn't help her boredom. Thinking back to last night Josie remembered that Penelope had asked her to send her her schedule. So since she didn't really have anything better to do at the moment she took a screenshot of it and sent it to the barista.

She would have cheerleading practice later today. A big game was coming up this weekend and the squad needed to be have the choreography down to the t. They still had a long way to go, but the brunette was confident that they would pull it off. The girls were all talented and worked well together. Luckily there was no drama so the vibe between them was also amazing. It would only push them to do better in even less time.

Lately Josie hadn't spend as much time with the girls as usual. Penelope had been her sole priority and now that everything was going well she knew she had to also focus on her college life again.

After all their classes the twins made their way to the locker room to change for practice. Chelsey and the other girls were already there and it seemed like there was a discussion going on.

“What are you guys talking about?”, Lizzie wanted to know.

“We were wondering if we should throw a small party tonight, but some of us think that with the upcoming game we should wait til after.”, the other blonde let the twins know, sending them a questioning look to see where they stood on the subject.

On one hand whoever mentioned the game was right. They needed to be at the top of their game and partying definitely didn't contribute to a great performance. On the other hand however a get-together would boost their vibe. And Josie couldn't help but think about how this could also give her the chance to introduce Penelope to her friends. She would have to talk to the barista about it first, but it seemed like a good opportunity for them to take another step into the right direction.

“I'd be down for a small party. As long as it doesn't get out of hand and something small becomes a huge raver or something.”, the brunette shrugged and started to change.

“I don't want to dampen the mood”, her sister started, “But we all know how quickly too many people can show up. How are we supposed to make sure that the plan stays as it is?”

“Lizzie we know how to keep things under wrap.”, Chelsey assured her with a pointed look to everyone around.

“Alright then let's do it.”, the blonde agreed and as they made their way onto the field the entire squad was on board.

They had all agreed to do it at Chelsey's and that they were only allowed to bring one additional person since it was about bonding with the girls who were present right now. Everyone hoped that it would enhance their relationships and boost their motivation for the upcoming game.

During practice everything went rather smooth. There were still a couple of mistakes, but altogether the routine was performed in a good manner. 

Droplets of sweat glistened on Josie's skin and she felt relived that they would be free to go soon. Right now Chelsey let them have one last water break before the final fifteen minutes of training would commence.

The brunette didn't pay anything other than her water bottle any mind so she was startled when one of the cheerleaders nudged her and whispered: “Hope's boyfriend is cute, but let me tell you I'm going for the new girl.”

Furrowing her eye brows the college girl looked up to the bleachers. And indeed Hope was there, holding hands with Landon who was sitting next to Penelope. And only Penelope.

Jealousy rose in her chest. Josie was well aware that the barista and her were only dating at the moment and not yet official. But that didn't stop the wave of emotion that crashed down on her. She hated that the girl form her squad had made that comment and wanted to hiss something along the lines of 'that's my girl so you better stay in your lane'.

However the brunette swallowed the feeling and looked to the other cheerleader. A couple of others, including Lizzie and Chelsey, had gathered around the two girls. To her dismay she heard others agree on how good the new girl looked.

Josie felt like was going to explode. She knew that she couldn't blow up though. There had to be another way to make them realize that Penelope was not on the market.

“Are you okay Jo?”, her twin sister whispered, touching her arm reassuringly.

“I've got to do something, excuse me a second.”, she replied and started walking towards the group of three.

There was no chance in hell that she would just let the squad continue to lust over the barista while she was around. Something had to be done.

When the brunette halted in front of her best friend, Landon and the girl she had feelings for the latter quirked an eye brow up, giving her a smile.

“I didn't know you were coming.”, Josie stated, a bit out of breath from practice and her rather fast walk to the bleachers.

“Well hello to you too.”, Penelope grinned entertained.

Through her jealousy the taller girl had completely forgotten to greet the raven haired girl. An embarrassed blush crept onto her face and she quickly looked down to the ground.

“Sorry.”, she mumbled, looking back up, “It's great to see you.”

Landon and Hope both chuckled at their conversation. Both their eyes were beaming with amusement. The brunette knew that they knew why she came over here before practice had ended. Her best friend was acquainted with the girls and knew how 'fresh meat' was assessed by them.

And judging from the wide smile plastered on Penelope's face it was fair to assume that she knew too.

“Do you need something or what are you doing here when you're clearly not finished?”, the barista asked, feigning ignorance.

Josie hadn't thought this far if she was being honest. Marching over and somehow showing everyone that Penelope was with her had been the only plan she had had. It bugged the taller girl that it was so painfully obvious that she was jealous. Usually the college girl was able to control her feelings, but of course whenever it concerned the barista she had no hold whatsoever over what she was feeling.

Biting her lip the brunette looked straight into the familiar green orbs. A spark of amusement was displayed in a sea of affection. The way Penelope was looking at her made her feel warm inside. She felt special and at ease. All of her worries and all the jealousy faded away and was replaced by endearment. The girl in front of her had her heart and she was fine with that. She felt like her heart was safe with the raven haired girl.

Josie remained silent, still at a loss for words to explain her behavior when Penelope stood up and caressed her cheek. Taking the brunette's head between her hands she guided the taller girl down, connecting their lips slowly. Everything around them faded away and it was only the two of them.

Before the cheerleader could deepen the kiss though, Penelope disconnected her lips from hers. Both girls had a dazed smile on their faces.

“I hope that helps with your jealousy.”, the raven haired girl winked at her and sat back down next to Landon.

“It did.”, Josie said matter of factly and rolled her eyes. Of course the barista had to point that out.

The brunette walked back to the other girls who were all looking at her with wide eyes. Lizzie on the other hand seemed to be extremely proud of her right now.

“That is the girl you were talking about?”, Chelsey was the first one to address what had just happened.

“Yeah that's her.”, Josie smiled happily, the feeling of Penelope's lips on hers still lingering on her lips.

“Well I can see how she was able to get the ice queen to melt.”, another cheerleader commented appreciative and the brunette narrowed her eyes in response which made the girl scramble to find the right words to add: “But she's totally off limits of course.”

“Is she coming to the party? I'm sure we all would love to meet the mysterious girl that conquered your heart.”, Chelsey wanted to know curiously.

“I'll ask her.”

“Then let's get back to practice. We still have fifteen minutes so let's give it our all!”, the captain clapped her hands together.

On the way to their positions Lizzie grinned at her twin sister and teased: “If looks could kill that poor girl would have dropped dead on the spot. You're quite the jealous type.”

Josie huffed annoyed and decided to ignore the blonde's comment. She was sure that this was not living down any time soon. There were a lot of more teasing comments to come in the future and she was not looking forward to that. But then again had she made sure that everyone knew that Penelope was with her. That and she had managed to show the barista that she was serious about being with her. Despite being jealous Josie could have resisted the urge to walk to the raven haired girl and could have suffered in silence. She had decided against that though and now there was no going back anymore. It was official that Josette Saltzman was interested in Penelope Park. And that they were dating.

 

Penelope smiled as she watched Josie walk back down. Her surprise visit had been a full success. The only thing she hadn't expected was the jealous outburst from the brunette. But it made her smile only wider than it already was from seeing the other girl. Josie had taken another step towards her by showing everyone who she was interested in.

The barista couldn't quite believe how happy she was at the moment. Everything was going so well for them and she knew that no matter what her parents would throw in their way, they could get through it and come out stronger. The gala had proven that a long time ago. And one had to consider the fact that at the time of the event things had not been great between the two girls. Since they had managed to get closer and become stronger back then, they'd be unstoppable now.

A warm fuzzy feeling spread through the raven haired girl as she watched Josie practice. She had always know that the taller girl was a cheerleader. However seeing her in action was something else entirely. Penelope loved watching the brunette in her element. Her green eyes glowed with pride and affection and she could honestly say that there was nowhere she would rather be than right here.

“And I thought I was the hopeless romantic and sickening sweet at times.”, her best friend scoffed beside her.

Narrowing her eyes she faced Landon: “Says the guy who tagged along with Hope and me even though you don't have a girl or best friend down there.”

He only chuckled, relief flashing in his eyes when Penelope didn't call Hope his girlfriend since he wanted to ask her later today: “Touché.”

“Honestly I can't believe that Josie and you are finally dating. After all this chaos and the initial difficulties I never thought that you two would actually end up where you are right now.”, Hope spoke.

“Would you have told me that I'd have feelings for her back when I saw her the first time I would have told you that you belonged in a mental institution. So yeah same.”, the barista laughed.

The brunette was right, it was strange how things had turned out. A good kind of strange, but strange nevertheless. Josie had been the complete opposite of the type of person the raven haired girl liked. However with time, and of course a lot of patience, she had discovered that beneath the facade of the popular girl was a great person. Someone who cared deeply for others and wouldn't hesitate to help out the people that she loved. Josie was interesting and had so many different aspects to her personality that Penelope was still discovering new things about the girl every day.

“So when exactly is Amelia coming?”, Landon changed the topic.

“Tomorrow around lunch I think. She wanted to call me in a couple of hours to tell me all the details. But I can't wait for you guys to meet her.”

“Oh yeah I especially can't wait to see more of Josie's jealous side.”, Hope smirked, “That is going to be super entertaining and will give me ammunition to tease her for the next couple of years.”

The brunette's comment puzzled the barista for a second. Since Amelia was such a good friend to her it had never come to mind that the college girl would be envious of their bond. Now though it made her think. Hope could be right about Josie not feeling one hundred percent comfortable with the blonde girl visiting. After all her reaction had been a bit off when Penelope had told her the news after their date. The raven haired girl internally cursed herself for not thinking of that. It would be understandable for the taller girl to be tense about someone visiting the person she was interested in after only knowing them for a short period of time. Penelope's and Josie's relationship wasn't super secure. They weren't even official yet. So a new player, even if the barista knew that it was only platonic and would always stay that way, could definitely be reason enough for the cheerleader to feel unsure and insecure.

“I'll have a talk with her after practice about that.”, the girl thought out loud, unaware to the fact that she had spaced out and Landon and Hope were already talking about something else.

“You do that.”, her best friend grinned and resumed his conversation with the brunette again.

Penelope didn't mind not knowing what the two were talking about since practice was now officially over. Not waiting another second she got up and walked towards Josie who was currently talking to her sister and another blonde that she didn't know.

Since the brunette had her back to her and the two blondes seemed to be too focused on the discussion, the barista decided to sneak up on the brunette to try and scare her.

Cautiously the raven haired girl walked as silently as possible towards the group of three. Josie had yet to acknowledge her presence and Penelope was smelling victory. Taking the last step the barista covered the taller girls eyes with her hands and pressed her front to the brunette's back.

“Guess who.”, she whispered into Josie's ear, feeling her shiver in response.

Turning around and wrapping her arms around the barista's neck the brunette gave her a dazzling smile.

“I didn't say it before, but I'm so happy that you stopped by.”

Her chocolate brown orbs shone with joy and her smile reached her eyes, fueling the happiness displayed in them. It made the raven haired girl mirror the glee she was seeing in front of her.

“And I'm happy that I got to see you cheer. You were amazing by the way.”, Penelope replied, pulling the other girl impossibly closer by her waist.

“Thanks.”, Josie smiled, “You want to grab a bite once I'm done changing?”

“I'd love nothing more.”

The prospect of spending the next couple of hours with the college girl made her heart fill with delight. Whenever she was with the brunette she got a feeling that nothing else could compare to. It was like she was complete in those moments spend with the other girl. Penelope was at ease and somehow able to fully focus and enjoy the time she had with Josie. It basically felt like spending time with a best friend with the addition of a certain light feeling of the heart.

“By the way, this is Chelsey”, the brunette introduced the girl, “Chelsey this is Penelope.”

Instead of shaking the barista's hand the blonde went in for a tight hug which the raven haired girl reciprocated after a short moment of being stunned.

“I somehow feel like I'm meeting a celebrity. Our Jo here usually likes to play inaccessible.”, Chelsey said, sending a teasing grin to the brunette.

That made Penelope chuckle: “Oh I've noticed, but believe it or not Josie had an even harder time breaking down my walls.”

“That's true. We're quite the pair.”, the brunette grinned and leaned into the barista's side, kissing her cheek fondly.

While Chelsey looked at them with a wide smile on her face, Lizzie was rolling her eyes: “These two are acting all lovey-dovey right now, but trust me this right there has been such a pain in the ass for me.”

That made all three girls laugh. Lizzie was right, everything seemed to be great right now but the raven haired girl knew how tough the past few months have been and could only imagine how hard it had to have been for the blonde twin.

“We better get changed now.”, Josie said when the laughter subsided.

“Alright, I'll wait for you here.”, Penelope nodded and the cheerleaders left to go to the locker room.

Landon and Hope had gotten down from the bleachers as well and were now approaching her, hands intertwined. They looked super cute together and the barista knew that her best friend was trying to cover up his nervousness since he was planning on asking the brunette to be his girlfriend today.

“So you guys are going to head out now?”, she asked innocently, not wanting to give away the surprise the guy had in store for the girl of his affections.

“Yeah, Landon is taking me somewhere. He still hasn't told me where, but knowing him I know I'll love it.”, Hope smiled brightly.

“He sure knows how to make someone feel special.”, Penelope grinned in response, “Then I guess I'll see you later? Have fun.”

They both hugged her goodbye and then left.

Now that she was alone she decided to sit back down on the bleachers since she had nothing better to do. Josie would be back in a couple of minutes so it wasn't really enough time to call Amelia and check in with her for further details so the barista took a mental note to call her as soon as she got home after her late lunch with the college girl.

“Penny for your thoughts?”, the brunette's voice brought her back to reality.

Smiling she got up: “Nothing special just thinking about what I have to do today.”

“I'm not keeping you from something important am I?”, Josie asked her, a guilty look in her eyes.

It was adorable how sweet and considerate the taller girl was. Especially ever since the barista had come back Josie had made sure that she was okay and wasn't neglecting anything. Her concern wasn't annoying, like it was sometimes with people, but showed her how much the other girl cared for her and her feelings.

“No, don't worry about that.”, Penelope reassured her, “Right now there is nothing more important than going out with you.”

A blush appeared on the brunette's delicate features.

“Well I'm glad to hear that. Do you have a special place in mind where you want to go eat?”

“Nope you can decide. Do you have a favorite restaurant?”, the raven haired girl wanted to know.

“I love the Italian place around the corner of the coffee shop.”

“Then let's go.”

 

When they sat down at the table they had been led to Penelope couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach. She was sitting in the chair opposite of Josie and the genuine happiness radiating off of the brunette was infectious. Not that she wasn't already excited to be here with the other girl, but seeing Josie happy made her heart swell even more.

The way she was feeling right now was different to everything else she has ever felt. Even with Maeve, the first person she had ever loved, it didn't compare to this. Her relationship with Maeve had been all about sneaking around and hiding their true feelings for one another. With Josie it was the opposite. There was no charade, no fear of getting found out. Despite the depths of feelings she had had for her first love the emotions filling her heart whenever she was around Josie were even more intense.

“So the girls and I were talking about throwing a small party tonight”, the college girl started, “And we are all allowed to bring one person so I've been wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

There was a shyness to the way she brought up the subject that Penelope found endearing. Normally the brunette exuded confidence, but from time to time the barista got a glimpse of the vulnerable side of the girl. Seeing that side and being on the receiving end of it made the raven haired girl fall even harder for Josie.

“As your official date?”, she decided to tease her.

“Yes.”, Josie rolled her eyes, but the amused sparkle in her eyes betrayed her faked annoyance.

“Well I don't know”, Penelope thought out loud, “I'd have to check my calendar to see if I have the time.”

Scoffing the brunette said: “If you're too busy I might give Noah a call. I'm sure he'd be delighted to accompany me in your place.”

The barista knew that she was teasing her so she decided to have fun with the taller girl's comment.

With a serious tone she said: “Maybe you should. Might want to check out one of your many options before everyone thinks that things are getting serious between us.”

The shock on Josie's face was priceless and it took her a couple of seconds before she realized that the raven haired girl was only playing with her.

“You're a jerk!”, she exclaimed and playfully swatted her hand that was resting on the table.

“You should have seen your face.”, Penelope laughed wholeheartedly.

“Very funny. Maybe you should quit at the coffee shop and start a career as a comedian.”, Josie frowned, still not very amused.

“Babe we both know that you'd miss seeing me every time you go to grab coffee.”, the barista smirked.

Putting her hands up in surrender the brunette admitted: “You know what. I can't even argue with that.”

Penelope grinned victoriously and moved her hand closer towards Josie who despite glaring at her interlocked her fingers with her.

The two girls started to look at the menu and comfortable silence fell upon them. The barista couldn't decide if she wanted to have pasta or a pizza and felt oddly reminded of Bandersnatch. It was seriously hard to choose between amazing tasting foods sometimes. She usually went for the same thing she had at a restaurant before, but the raven haired girl had never eaten at this particular establishment so she didn't know what to order.

When the waiter approached them and asked if they were ready to order, the brunette shot her a questioning glance.

Huffing out a breath Penelope closed the menu. On the spot ordering would probably be the smartest thing to do. Mulling over her choices would only end in a huge waste of time which she could have spend enjoying her meal.

“I'll have a coke and pepperoni pizza.”, the barista told the waiter.

“And I'll have a sparkling water and the gnocchi.”, Josie smiled politely.

Nodding the waiter scribbled their orders down and excused himself again, hurrying back to the kitchen.

Conversation flowed easily and soon the two girls were digging in. The food was great and Penelope decided that she would be going here more often in the future.

When they were almost done a thought shot through her head. She had been meaning to bring up Amelia again so the brunette would be more at ease once the blonde would be here tomorrow.

“Hey there was something I wanted to talk to you about.”, the barista got right to the topic.

“Oh yeah?”

It was clear to see that Josie was nervous. And she couldn't blame the girl. Every time someone said that there was something they wanted to talk about it was often something bad.

“Amelia is coming to visit me tomorrow as you know.”, Penelope started, “I just wanted to check in to make sure that you're good.”

The raven haired girl tried her best to show that she was being genuine and didn't mean to imply anything with it. This could go the wrong way real quick if she sounded accusing.

Biting her lip Josie obviously contemplated what she was going to say. Penelope was patiently waiting, not wanting to rush her to say something immediately.

“Well I know how much you like her and how much you appreciate the friendship you have with her. So basically I know that there is nothing to worry about. But a small part of me, and I want to press that I'm not proud of that part, worries.”

The brunette was being honest and Penelope appreciated that. If the taller girl had lied to her and told her that everything was fine there would have been so many problems once Amelia got here. Now the raven haired girl had the chance to eradicate all of the other girls concerns and the meeting between the college girl and her new friend would hopefully go smoothly.

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I know that Amelia and I have gotten really close in a short period of time. However everything between her and me has always been platonic. I'm aware that me saying this right now will not help entirely with how you feel at the moment. But once she is here and you meet her, you'll see that she is just a friend and always has my best interest at heart. I'm sure that if you give her a chance you might even end up calling her a good friend too.”

After Penelope stopped talking a small tentative smile appeared on Josie's lips.

“I might not trust her yet, but I trust you. I'll be looking forward to meeting her.”, the brunette finally said after a short moment of silence.

The rest of their lunch the two girls enjoyed lighter conversation again and when it was time for them to go Penelope gave Josie a goodbye peck.

“I'll see you tonight.”

“Can't wait, I'll text you the address and the time as soon as I know.”

 

Back at her apartment Penelope didn't waste any time dialing Amelia's number. If she wanted to be ready for the party later tonight and have a chance at asking Landon for all the details of how his date with Hope went she had to call the blonde right away.

“Penelope!”, Amelia's excited voice answered her call.

“Hey Amelia, I just wanted to know if everything is settled for tomorrow.”, the barista replied.

“Yeah, I booked the flight just a few minutes ago and I'll be at your place at around 4pm.”, the blonde told her.

“That's great. My shift ends just an hour before so I don't have to ask someone to cover for me. I can't wait for you to get here and meet everyone.”

“Me neither! I'm especially looking forward to finally see what your Josie is all about.”, Penelope could basically hear the other girl grinning, “I also have a surprise for you.”

Furrowing her eye brows the raven haired girl repeated Amelia's words: “A surprise for me?”

“Yes. I think it's something you need.”, the blonde kept the mystery of her planned surprise.

Something about the way she said it though made Penelope uneasy. She wasn't one for surprises and her gut twisting in an uncomfortable way. However the feeling was gone as quickly as it had come.

 

After texting Penelope the time and place Josie threw her phone back onto her bed. She was glad that the raven haired girl has sensed her uncomfortableness concerning Amelia's visit. The brunette had needed the barista to tell her that she had nothing to worry about. Having the other girl acknowledge her feelings like that had given her some sort of security she hadn't had before.

Just as she was about to go through her closet to find an outfit to wear later Hope burst through the door, a huge grin on her face.

“Landon finally asked me to be his girlfriend!”, the smaller girl giddily shouted as soon as her eyes had landed on the cheerleader.

“That's great! Give me all the details.”, Josie hugged her best friend, happy that they had finally taken that step in their relationship.

“Well he told me that you had some part to play in his planning as well.”, Hope said, “So thank you for encouraging him to do what he did.”

“Landon is the sweetest I did nothing more than say go for it.”

“I know. I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend.”, the brunette dreamily said and then went on talking about her date and how amazing everything had been.

Josie was happy for her best friend and hearing her talk about her day with Landon told her that he was right for the other brunette. It has been a long time coming and now that they were officially a couple Josie was nothing short of ecstatic.

“Enough about me now, Lizzie told me that you're taking Penelope to your squad party tonight.”, her best friend changed the topic.

“I am. I know it was scary and hard at the beginning to be open and honest about my feelings for her, but now it all comes easy to me. I want my friends to know that she's my girl and that I'm serious about her. And I want her to see that there is no one else but her for me.”

“Wow she really has turned you into a softie.”, Hope smirked.

“Shut up”, Josie playfully shoved her.

“All jokes aside, I'm glad that you're finally letting yourself fall for someone. I've always worried about you missing out on truly loving someone.”

It wasn't news to the tall brunette that Lizzie and her best friend had their concerns about how she had lived her love life. However hearing Hope say it out loud made her realize how stubbornly stupid she had been. What she had with the raven haired barista surpassed everything she thought possible. Loving someone was definitely a whole other level of caring and now that she had those emotions she didn't even want to imagine how dull her life would have been if she hadn't opened up to Penelope.

And then it hit her.

“Jo what is it?”, Hope asked her with wide and worried blue eyes.

“I love her.”

It was a simple statement, but the meaning behind it was huge.

 

Josie was waiting nervously for Penelope to arrive at the address she had sent her earlier. Her realization was very present in her mind. After she had told her best friend Hope had had to talk her down since she had been starting to panic. Having feelings for someone was one thing. Loving them was something entirely different. The brunette had no idea when she should tell Penelope and how on earth she was going to keep her mouth from telling the raven haired girl as soon as she saw her. It had to be the right moment.

“What are you thinking about?”, Penelope's voice startled her.

“Nothing!”, she was quick to blurt out, her chocolate brown eyes wide in shock.

“Right.”, the barista laughed and dismissed it to Josie's relief. The brunette knew that Penelope would never push her to tell her something if she wasn't ready. She'd give her time and that was one of the many things she loved about the other girl.

“So you want to head in or are we just going to stay out here?”, she asked the brunette, an amused spark in her green orbs.

“Sorry.”, Josie scrambled to say and shook her head to regain her composure, “Let's go.”

This party was different to the one she had taken the barista to the first time they had hung out. It was less crowded and more laid-back. The music was still blaring loudly from the speakers however the space was not filled with rowdy jocks and adrenaline pumped students who cheered the ones on that were doing some stupid dare.

As soon as the two girls had entered Chelsey was running towards them, throwing her arms around Josie.

“You guys made it! Penelope I'm super psyched that you are Jo's plus one.”, the blonde screamed over the music.

“Wouldn't have passed on the chance to meet Josie's friends.”, the barista replied.

“Well make yourselves at home. You know where the kitchen is if you want to get some drinks.”, the blonde said and went on to make her rounds as the host.

Interlacing her fingers with Penelope's the brunette led them to the kitchen, preparing herself a vodka cranberry and mixed the raven haired girl a vodka RedBull.

“If I'm not mistaken you had this for the entire night of the first party I took you to.”, the brunette smiled.

“You noticed that? I remember me trying to avoid you all night.”, she chuckled.

“I always notice the things you do.”

“Do you now.”, Penelope raised an eye brow and snaked her arms around the taller girl's waist.

Instead of answering Josie cupped the raven haired girl's face and pulled her in for a long and passionate kiss. She would never get tired of kissing Penelope. It always lit her body on fire and her heart still started to race no matter how often they had already locked lips.

When she pulled away the green eyes were still closed, lips still slightly parted. The barista looked angelic and if it hadn't been for a group of girls approaching them the college girl would have closed the gap again.

One arm slung around the smaller girls middle Josie greeted her friends. Since she had been a bit absent lately everyone wanted to catch up and meet her infamous plus one. The brunette almost felt like the host because all of the people who were at the party seemed to be most interested in talking to her than anybody else. Not that that wasn't usually the case as well. However the difference now was that Penelope was with her and all Josie wanted to do was give her all of her attention.

The raven haired girl didn't seem to mind though. Out of the corner of her eye Josie saw the proud and happy look the other girl was giving her. The look was only trumped by the fact that all of her friends seemed to love her date.

At one point Josie got separated from Penelope. The brunette was now playing a drinking game with five other cheerleaders while the barista was talking to Lizzie and Hope who was the blonde's plus one.

After another few rounds Josie was at the stage of being tipsy. She didn't want to get drunk tonight since Penelope was here and she didn't want to be so wasted that she couldn't enjoy the other girl's presence to it's fullest. Being black out drunk just wasn't sexy.

With that in mind the brunette looked over to her sister who was still chatting with Hope. Penelope on the other hand was not with them anymore. Scanning the apartment her eyes finally landed on her standing in the kitchen fixing herself a new drink.

Excusing herself from the game she made her way towards the barista. The music was too loud for the girl to hear her walk up behind her so Josie decided to repay the favor from practice earlier.

“Guess who.”, the brunette whispered into Penelope's ear, hands settling at the smaller girl's sides.

“My favorite cheerleader?”, the raven haired girl said and turned around, face falling when her eyes met Josie's, “Oh no you're not Lizzie. My bad.”

Judging by the other girl's hysterical laugh the brunette guessed hat her eyes had gone comically wide.

Pouting she mumbled: “You have got to stop doing that.”

“I'm sorry. But messing with you is just too much fun.”, the barista got out in between laughs.

Since Josie couldn't come up with a response she crossed her arms and continued to give the other girl her sad puppy face. According to Lizzie that look could make the most cold hearted person feel bad. 

Her plan worked out because Penelope immediately stopped toppling over in laughter.

“Stop making that face Jojo.”, she pleaded with her, pulling her back close.

But the brunette didn't listen to her and just continued to stare at the barista like that.

“What can I do to make you smile at me again?”, the raven haired girl wanted to know, kissing each of Josie's knuckles in an attempt to make her pout disappear. It was hard not to smile when Penelope was being so cute again, but Josie was determined to make the other girl work for it. So she just remained silent, pout unwavering. At this point it was clear to see that the tables had turned and it was now the barista who was at a loss for words.

Then something flashed in the green eyes that were locked onto her chocolate ones and Josie noticed the smaller girl go onto her tip toes so she was at the same height as her. Leaning in slowly the raven haired girl teasingly took Josie's lower lip between her teeth and then sucked on it which made the brunette take a sharp inhale. Her hands immediately dropped down to the kitchen isle behind the barista to steady herself, trapping the other girl in the process.

It didn't take Josie long to kiss Penelope back, pushing her back until the girls back was against the isle. Her hands got lost in the raven locks and she started to nibble on the barista's earlobe. She then moved on to trail kisses down her neck, enjoying the shiver rumbling beneath her lips. When she reached Penelope's soft spot she focused on that area and felt how the raven haired girl started to squirm against her body, pulling her impossibly closer to her.

“Whoa there, keep it in your pants.”, Lizzie's voice broke them out of their haze.

“Lizzie you have the best timing sometimes.”, the brunette groaned in frustration, but put a little bit of distance between Penelope and herself.

“It's not my fault you decided to get it on in the middle of the kitchen where all the alcohol is.”, the blonde shrugged and pushed past them.

Looking back at the barista Josie couldn't suppress a smirk.

“You gave me a hickey, didn't you?”, Penelope guessed.

“Yes”, she smiled and moved back in to whisper seductively, “And it looks great on you.”

“Hello? Still present.”, her twin made herself known for the second time in under a minute.

“Come on, let's join the others before your sister kills the both of us.”, the raven haired girl chuckled.

The rest of the night they stayed together, playing various games and conversing with Josie's closest friends.

 

Penelope woke up without a hangover. Last night had been great and a smile graced her lips as she thought back. On her way to work she told Landon all about the party and her best friend caught her up on the new series he had started last night since he had stayed in. When he first saw the mark the brunette had left her with she knew that he would be sure to tease her about it for at least the rest of the day. Still her shift went by fast and it was almost time for Amelia to arrive.

When the door bell finally rang the raven haired girl skipped towards the door, opening it enthusiastically only to stop dead in her tracks. Penelope was paralyzed and Josie's hickey was burning on her skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on Posie's dating dynamic and who it could be that is at Penelope's door step?
> 
> Btw I started to upload the story on Wattpad if you want to comment on single paragraphs and give me some more feedback!
> 
> My Twitter: @1penelopepark


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've wanted to update for a while, but life got in the way... But here it finally is!  
> Hope you enjoy :)   
> (And thank you so much for baring with the story and my slow updates)

When the door bell finally rang the raven haired girl skipped towards the door, opening it enthusiastically only to stop dead in her tracks. Penelope was paralyzed and Josie's hickey was burning on her skin.

Starring back at her were all too familiar dark, almost grey ocean blue eyes. Looking into those eyes again brought so many emotions back up. Emotions that Penelope had thought were long left behind. But apparently they had just been hiding behind thick walls that the raven haired girl had build up over time. Every feeling rushing through her now had never been gone, they had always stayed within her heart.

Penelope's heart was beating strongly against her chest, making it hard to breath normally. She couldn't do anything but stare at the girl she had thought would never enter her life again. Her first love.

“Hey P, long time no see.”, Maeve forced a smile that was more awkward than genuine.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”, the barista managed to choke out.

Obviously overwhelmed with everything as well, Maeve ran her slender fingers through her strawberry blonde hair, avoiding to look at her.

“Amelia contacted me after her trip to Asia. Apparently she knows someone who knows me.”, she replied, still looking anywhere but into Penelope's direction.

“Speaking of her, where is she?”, the barista's voice quivered slightly. This was all too much, she needed air. Space from Maeve. Space from everyone really.

“I'm here.”, Amelia spoke up and appeared from behind her ex girlfriend.

It was clear to see that her friend was feeling just as uncomfortable as the two other girls. But unlike Maeve Amelia actually managed to meet Penelope's eyes.

Taking the blonde's hand the raven haired girl pulled her inside and shut the door in Maeve's face.

Struggling to find words to throw at her, Amelia took the chance to talk first: “Listen P. I know that she is probably the last person you want to surprise you, but I believe that this is going to be to your benefit.”

“My benefit?”, Penelope yelled, finally finding her voice again, “What on earth possessed you to do this to me?! She was in the past. I moved on from her!”

“That's exactly my point! You're still not over her! This reaction of yours just proved that.”, Amelia answered just as loudly, however after a few deep breaths she continued more calmly, “You freaked out just seeing her. The way you talked about her in Asia made me realize that even though you had yourself convinced that you have, you haven't. You never had closure and bringing her here was my way of giving you the opportunity to fix that. To be in a healthy and long lasting relationship with Josie you need to be over your ex. I didn't do this out of malice or to spite you P. I did it because I value your friendship.”

Penelope was too stunned to say anything. She was hearing Amelia still she couldn't wrap her head around the situation. It felt like she had just been hit with a truck. A truck named Maeve.

“And you couldn't have warned me?”, the barista asked voiceless.

“I needed you to see her without a heads up. That was the only way to see if you were over her or not.”

“This is fucked up. Things with Josie have been great. I was happy!”

“I'm sorry, I truly am.”, Amelia whispers.

Closing her eyes Penelope leaned against the wall next to the door. The girl who broke her heart was on the other side. Maeve was in the same town as her. She couldn't quite comprehend that. It seemed like the strawberry blonde girl had been out of her life for ages and now she was back. Just like that. But what was even more baffling was that her ex had come here willingly. Maeve had always been head strong, there was no way that Amelia had been able to drag her here against her own free will.

She wanted to punch something. Do anything to get some sort of release of all the stress and confusion building up inside her chest. Her friend was standing a few steps away from here. Silent and unmoving. Most likely too scared to do anything to set her off even more.

Now she had two choices. Either yell at Amelia even more, or open the door to let the girl waiting outside into her apartment. Or rather back into her life again. Neither of her options seemed appealing, still she had to make a decision.

“Fuck this.”, the barista shook her head and opened the door again.

Maeve was leaning against the frame and almost fell in with the door. Stumbling a bit to find her footing she nearly crashed into Penelope who out of reflex steadied her by taking ahold of her forearm. That contact alone sent a shock wave through her entire body and she hastily let go.

Once again green eyes met ocean ones and Penelope felt like she was being sucked into a rapid that was whirling with past memories. The first she saw Maeve in the hallway, their first talk, their first kiss, their entire relationship until the time she saw her kissing someone that wasn't her.

“Holy shit!”, a voice pulled her back into reality.

Her best friend was standing in the hallway, muffins dropped on the floor and jaw dropped.

“Landon.”, Maeve said surprised, stepping back from the barista.

“What the hell is going on here?”, the guy asked with wide eyes.

“I came here with Amelia.”, her ex girlfriend stated, looking from Landon to Penelope and then to Amelia.

This entire situation was so messed up that it made the barista feel a bit dizzy. Sensing her discomfort Landon pulled the raven haired girl away from the two other girls and into her room to give them some privacy.

“Breathe.”, he soothed, “Just breathe and then you can tell me how this happened and how you're doing.”

Following his advice she closed her eyes and took deep breaths until she was breathing steadily again.

“Back in Asia I told Amelia about Maeve and apparently it looked to her like I hadn't found the closure I needed to be with Josie. So she decided to take it upon herself to provide me with the opportunity to truly move on from her. And now my first love, the person who shattered my heart is in our apartment.”, Penelope summed the events of the past ten minutes up.

“Wow. I don't even know how to process this, I can't imagine how you're holding up right now.”, Landon whispered shocked.

“Well that makes two of us. I don't even have the slightest idea on how I'm feeling.”

“How exactly did Amelia think that this would go?”, her best friend shook his head in disbelief.

“You'd have to ask her.”, the barista was starting to get angry again.

The blonde had opened up old wounds. Cuts so deep that they hadn't healed up quite yet. And now, thanks to Amelia, she could feel the pain oozing out in rivers again.

With a sympathetic look on his face Landon pulled her into a hug. It was exactly what she needed and Penelope held onto him tight. Holding her best friend was helping her to calm down again and to prepare to go back out and face her first love. 

But then she felt him tensing up. With a wildly beating heart she took a few steps back. A bad feelings welling up in her chest.

“What have you done?”, Penelope asked in horror. 

She knew him too well for him to be able to hide anything. Usually she liked knowing exactly how he felt. Right now on the other hand it was making her life even more miserably. All kinds of horror scenarios were shooting through her head.

However before Landon could answer her she heard voices from the main living area: “You must be Josie, I've heard so much about you.”

“Holy shit, this day can't get any worse.”, the raven haired girl whispered and ran into the living room.

The sight she was met with almost gave her a heart attack. Josie was standing right next to Maeve, an unknowing smile on her beautiful face. Not even in her wildest dreams would Penelope have imagined to ever see the first person she has ever loved next to the girl she was falling for. Everything was just so surreal and all she was hoping for was to wake up form this nightmare.

 

Josie knew from the moment she saw Penelope storming into the room that something was off. The vibe in the room was weird and the panicked looked in her favorite green eyes spoke volumes.

She had come over because Landon had mentioned that Amelia would be arriving around this time and since the brunette had promised to give the girl a chance she had decided to meet her as soon as possible. What Josie hadn't anticipated was to be met with two gorgeous girls and no Penelope nor Landon in the room.

The person who had recognized her must have been Amelia. So the only question remaining was who the other girl was. But when the college girl saw the way Penelope was looking from her to the strawberry blonde stranger a dreadful feeling started to spread. She had never seen the barista look at anyone with so much emotion. Sure the affection the green eyes held for her were obvious. However the depth of feelings displayed in the raven haired girl's eyes whenever she look at the girl next to her was on a completely different level.

“Who is she to you?”, Josie asked, voice cracking.

“I can explain.”, the barista started, looking helplessly to Landon for help.

“It's a simply question Penelope.”

To Josie's displeasure it wasn't the raven haired girl who replied, but the one in question: “Actually it's everything but simple. I'm Maeve. I don't know if P has ever mentioned me before.”

The way the new girl had cut in made the brunette scowl. Who was she to interrupt her obvious very personal conversation with Penelope. If she had wanted her opinion she would have asked her.

“No she hasn't. So back to my original question: Who is she to you?”

The answer couldn't be a good one. All the build up and the strange atmosphere in the room were screaming at her that something bad was going to happen. And even though Josie wanted to know who this Maeve person was, she was dreading the answer.

“I think we should talk alone.”, Penelope said, seeming more in control of everything now. As if she had made a decision just now.

The raven haired girl shot Landon a look and directed her next words to Amelia: “Despite all of this I'm happy you're here. You can get to know my best friend while I'm talking to Josie.”

So apparently Amelia, the girl she hadn't been the biggest fan of to begin with, was responsible for all this drama. She wanted to slap her and the other girl. Last night had been perfect and now Josie was feeling like the sky was crashing down on her.

The barista headed into the direction of her and Maeve. Penelope took the other girls hand in a delicate manner and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear: “This is a lot, but feel free to stay. I don't want you to leave again.”

The last part broke Josie's heart. If she wasn't sure who the girl was to Penelope before, she sure as hell knew now.

“Okay.”, the blonde girl smiled weakly and squeezed the raven haired girl's hand.

“Let's go.”, Penelope forced a smile as she finally met the brunette's eyes again.

Josie didn't know where the barista was taking her, but she didn't ask. The air around them was thick with tension and anxiety. Nothing about it felt right and the college girl was already spiraling with her thoughts. The only thing she knew for sure was that Maeve meant trouble for them.

Penelope stopped walking when they were a few steps outside the building. Pacing up and down, never meeting Josie's eyes, it took a few minutes for her to start talking.

“Maeve is my first great love. It didn't end well and Amelia thought that bringing her here would give me closure. That's the short version.”

Each word felt like a punch to the gut. It wasn't really that Josie was surprised. After all the moment the raven haired girl has entered the room and seen her and Maeve standing next to each other the brunette had kinda know. And the don't leave again part only contributed to that almost fact. Still hearing Penelope call her her first great love was devastating. How could she ever compete with the person who showed Penelope what love was? Maeve was to Penelope what Penelope was to her.

“Please say something...”

Her voice was filled with so much pain that it was hurting Josie too. Adding to the already existing heartache that she had going on.

“What is there to say? I saw the way you looked at her. Amelia was right, you haven't move on and I have to come to terms with that.”, Josie whispered defeated.

“Don't do that!”, angered flared in her green eyes.

“Do what? Accept the truth?”, the brunette countered, tears burning in her brown eyes.

“You're running away again! I have no intention to get back with Maeve. I want to be with you. All I need is some time to figure things out.”

“Penelope...”, Josie started, fighting back the sobs that were threatening to escape, “All I'm hearing is time and space and time again. For Christ sake you went on a business trip to ASIA in hopes that we would work after. Maybe this just isn't meant to be. Maybe we never even stood a chance.”

“Please don't say that.”, the raven haired girl begged her, “I can't lose you Jojo.”

“But I have already lost you.”, Josie whispered and started to walk away. 

She believed everything she had just said. How couldn't she when there was still love in the green eyes for someone that wasn't her. For the first person the barista had ever had real feelings for. After all she couldn't imagine herself ever loving someone as much as she loves Penelope. Apparently it was true what people said. That you never forget, or rather get over, your first love.

“Josie!”

“Don't try to follow me.”, the brunette choked out and quickened her steps until she was running, tears now streaming down her face.

Back in her empty dorm room the college girl broke down onto her bed and let herself feel everything. Crying until there were no more tears left to cry.

 

Penelope's heart broke as she watched Josie run away from her. Her words echoing in the back of her head: But I have already lost you.

It was no surprise that Josie hadn't been happy with who Maeve was to her. The barista even knew that the talk with the brunette would probably don't end well. But hearing how the cheerleader thought that they never even stood a chance pained her more than she would like to admit.

Was she really that blind when it came to her first love? Amelia and Josie definitely seemed to think so.

Back upstairs Landon shot her a concerned look: “Where's Josie?”

“Gone and I don't know if we can fix things this time.”, she replied, shaken up from her talk with the brunette.

Standing in front of her best friend, Amelia and Maeve it would have been the logical decision to go somewhere private with Landon to talk about things. But when were feelings ever logical? The guy may have been there though it all, always by her side and always having her back. Maeve may have broken her heart. Still all Penelope could think about was how their friendship and later on relationship had been her rock. Maeve had been her safe place, her home. So was it that unreasonable that she wanted to talk to her? Not really right?

As if she had read her mind her first love closed the distance between them and asked cautiously: “Want to get out of here?”

The raven haired girl only nodded, ignoring Landon's desperate silent attempts to tell her that this was a bad idea and left the apartment with the blonde.

Their walk was spend in silence. The barista felt like everything was happening to another person and not herself. And yet she was more at ease then she usually was. Maeve still had that effect on her. A soothing presence in even the most stressful of situations.

But that didn't change the fact that her thoughts only belonged to the college girl. Penelope wasn't thinking about Maeve at all.

When the two girls reached a park bench in an almost deserted area they both sat down. Not too close to each other, but also not too far away for it to be awkward.

“I didn't mean to drop by unannounced.”, Maeve broke the silence, “I don't think I could have given you notice as well though.”

Penelope chuckled.

“Honestly I have no idea how to act right now.”, the blonde admitted, a shy smile gracing her lips.

“Crazy right? We used to have no problem being around each other and now look at us.”, the barista sighed exhausted.

There used to be a time she had thought something like this would be impossible and now it was her life. Looking back it sounds silly, but Penelope had really thought that Maeve had been the one for her. The only person she would ever love. Now she had something great with someone else. Still the ghost of her first hadn't quite quit haunting her.

“Yeah.”, the other girl agreed.

A few moments of silence passed again. Both pairs of eyes fixed to the ground.

“Why are you here Maeve?”

The blonde laughed dryly: “Yeah I guess that's the million dollar question. I'm single again. And I'm going to stop you before you accuse me of anything. I didn't come here to win you back. Even though seeing you now I have to admit that that's not off the table...”

“Jesus.”, Penelope hissed, “You can't be for real.”

Anger was building back up and the scars on her heart were screaming at her all the things the girl had put her through.

“I'm sorry. What I meant to say was that my ex and I broke up because she felt like I wasn't over you. The way I left things with you have always been a stain in our relationship and at one point she couldn't cope with me mentioning you from time to time and how I regretted doing what I did. She tried to push me to contact you again and work things out so that that wouldn't be an issue for our relationship anymore. But I didn't want to.”

“Oh boy”, the raven haired girl interrupted her with a smirk on her face, somehow her anger had vaporized into thin air and had been replaced by the good feeling of knowing where a story would go, “Pushing you is never a good idea.”

At this they finally met each others eyes again. Talking like this lifted weight off of the barista's shoulders and it was almost like their nasty break up had never happened.

“Exactly. We ended up fighting and then she dumped me in the heat of the moment. When she tried getting back with me later...”

“You were too proud and upset to take her back”, Penelope finished the sentence for her.

“Damn I missed you P.”, Maeve smiled, nostalgia written all over her soft features.

“Believe me when I say that I hate to admit it, but I've missed you too.”

Of course it was true. Especially at the beginning of her heartbreak she had craved for the strawberry blonde to come back to her. Not only did she miss her love but also her very close friend. Loosing someone you were best friends with and also in love with is like loosing two very important people at the same awful time.

“I believe you. After all I still know you pretty well.”

“That you sure do.”, the raven haired girl nodded, “And that's exactly why I need to talk to you about Josie.”

To say that Maeve was caught off guard was an understatement. The surprise, maybe even shock, was obvious. To be honest Penelope herself hadn't expected herself to go there, but in that moment it seemed like the right thing to do. The beautiful brunette and their earlier conversation and the pain connected to it lingered in the back of her mind. Her heart still aching from having to watch Josie walk away.

“Josie as in the girl you're dating?”, Maeve wanted to clarify, clearly unsure about where this was going.

“Josie as in the girl I'm falling for.”, Penelope corrected her. It wasn't that her ex had been wrong. However it felt off to just mention that they were dating. Being with the brunette was so much more than dating.

“Way to rub it in P.”, the blonde scoffed.

“Rub it in?”, the barista raised her voice, suddenly furious again, “Like you rubbed it in when you kissed a girl in front of me and everyone else when you told me that you weren't ready to be out yet?!”

Penelope couldn't believe that girl. She had imagined seeing Maeve again so many times and her reactions had always ranged from pure bliss to raging anger. So this right now being an intense rollercoaster ride of emotions didn't come completely unexpected.

“I regret that I handled it so poorly every day...”

“Handled it poorly? That's one hell of an euphemism.”

“Please let me finish. Words can never express how bad I feel for what I did to you. You were my first love too. I loved you so damn much it scared me. So when Abby showed interest in me I was both flattered and relieved. Relieved because it meant that I didn't have to risk exposure to our peers with someone so dear to me. Being with Abby and coming out with her as a girlfriend, she was already out if you remember, was easier for me. I know that's selfish and there is no excuse for my behavior.”

The barista was baffled. Never in a million years had she anticipated that answer. She had always thought that Maeve had never truly loved her. That she had been played and used and that even though she had felt everything for the blonde, the other girl couldn't reciprocate in the way she had wanted her to.

“I did fall in love with Abby. But you have always been my great first love.”

“So how are we going to do this? How do you feel about me? What do you want?”

There were so many questions whirling through Penelope's head. Even though Maeve had said before that she didn't come here to win her back, everything she had been saying just now pointed into that direction. And even if her ex was able to give her answers to everything, the raven haired girl herself had no idea how she felt about a few issues. She wanted to be with Josie. She was sure of that. On the other hand though there was Maeve and all their unresolved feelings.

“I want to stay here and see where this could go. Maybe we part ways, maybe we'll become friends again or maybe we can find our way back to each other. I'm going to be fine with either.”, the blonde replied.

“Okay.”

 

Josie was lying on her bed. Exhausted from all the crying, but still in pain. She had been replaying the days events or the past hour and every time she had gotten to the point where Penelope had taken Maeve's hand another wave of pain shot through her.

Lizzie and Hope had come in halfway through her break down and had been caught up in between sobs. Now they were just sitting close to her, giving her the quiet she wanted, but still their support by being there for her.

“Jo.”, Hope piped up, making a grimace in anticipation to be asked to shut up.

“What?”, the brunette croaked, throat horse from all the crying.

“Just because her first love is back, doesn't mean she won't choose to be with you. Didn't she even assure you that she still wanted to be with you?”

It was true. Penelope had said that. However in the heat of the moment Josie hadn't been able to hear it. The raw emotions displayed by the exes had clouded everything.

Lizzie was the next to speak: “Listen, you haven't lost her. This is just another obstacle you guys have to overcome. You two have beaten the odds so many times and have always come up on top.”

New confidence swept in. Her sister and Hope were right. What she was feeling now could only be described as being heartbroken. A bad side effect from loving someone. But loving someone also meant to fight for them. To do everything possible to win them back if there was still a chance. And Josie knew that there was hope for her and Penelope. No matter how slight.

“I'm going to get her back.”, the college girl stated and sat up, wiping away the almost dry tears. The pain was replaced by determination.

“That's our girl.”, the blonde grinned proudly.

“Text her that and then ask her when she has time to meet up.”, Hope advised her.

Pulling out her phone she started to type: “I don't care who Maeve was to you, I mean I do but you know what I mean. I want to be the person that matters to you now and in the future. I'll fight for you. Please text me if you want to see me.”

Sending it, her twin took her phone in horror: “Did you just send that message without letting us go over it first?!”

Lizzie's comment brought the first smile to Josie's face again and Hope had to chuckle as well. The tall blonde's behavior was always amusing and they both loved her for it.

After going over the text Josie could see a small smile appear on her sister's face.

“This is actually good.”, her sister shrugged once she was done reading and gave the brunette her phone back, “And don't worry, Hope and I will be with you when you go back to your girl and that stupid ugly possum called Maeve.”

“Possum?”, Josie and her best friend laughed out loud, “You're one of a kind Lizzie and we love you for it.”

By the time the barista replied the three girls were almost done with the comedy they had started to watch. The sound of the notification made Josie jump, while Lizzie and Hope simultaneously reached for the remote to pause the movie.

“What did she say?”, her twin asked curious.

“There's a open air movie screening which we were all planning to go to. I'd love to have you there with me. You can bring as many people as you want to. Make it a big group thing you know.”, she read out loud.

Josie felt relieved that Penelope apparently didn't hold what she had said earlier against her. With the brunette's history she could have understood if the barista would have been pissed or would have even distanced herself again. But none of that was the case. She had invited her and her friends to hang out on the same day as their incident.

“This is great!”, Lizzie exclaimed, “We can invite MG too and have a fun night and we could even try to get this Maeve girl as far aways as possible from you and Penelope.”

That made the college girl chuckle. Of course the blonde would suggest to meddle in order for Josie to have better odds at fixing things with the raven haired girl.

“That won't be necessary. I want to see how she handles the situation without you intervening.”, she replied.

“Alright, but I'll text MG and then we can all head out.”, her sister agreed.

 

Josie was nervous as she and her three friends headed to the apartment. As much as she tried to convince herself that she was ready to see Penelope and Maeve in the same room again, she knew that she wasn't. Not because the girl could try to win back the barista, but because she didn't know what she would do if Penelope would look at her first love with more affection and warmth than at her. The possibility was there and that only rattled her even more.

“You ready sis?”, Lizzie asked her compassionately. The worry was clear to see in the blue orbs of her twin.

“As ready as I'll ever be.”

With that Hope rang the door bell, which was answered almost immediately, letting them inside the building.

 

Usually the simple sound of a door bell wouldn't get Penelope's heart to speed up in an unhealthy way. But tonight it did. Josie and Maeve in the same vicinity. Hanging out all night. She wasn't looking forward to that at all. The raven haired girl had been relieved and happy when Josie had texted her earlier and declared that she would fight for her. Still it didn't change that Maeve and her had stuff to work out.

When she opened the door her eyes found the brunette's. There was nervousness and caution mixed with affection. Josie looked adorable and gorgeous at the same time and for a short moment she forgot everything around them.

“Hope!”, Landon yelled from back inside, rushing to the door to greet his girlfriend.

“Come in.”, the barista said and stepped aside, letting Lizzie and MG in while Josie was still lingering at the door. As if she were waiting for something. Which she probably was.

“Hey Jojo.”, Penelope tentatively smiled at her. Her smooth and suave people skills had apparently flown out the window the moment she had answered the door bell.

“Listen I wanted to apologize..”, Josie started, but was swiftly cut off by the raven haired girl's lips.

Standing on her tiptoes the barista pressed her lips against the brunette's, trying to express how much she cared for her. It had been the only thing she could think of so she had gone with it.

“You don't have to apologize. It was an unusual situation and I don't blame you for reacting the way that you did.”, Penelope whispered.

Looking into her doe eyes now and having had her walk away earlier the raven haired girl couldn't fight the emotions welling up inside. Guilt, fear and something she hadn't felt in a long time were battling with each other.

“I should be the one to apologize”, she continued, “I should have told you about Maeve, and I would have, but Amelia beat me to it. But I'm glad she did, it would have taken me a long time to realize myself that I still have to work things out with her. That doesn't mean though that it isn't you that I want to be with. Because I do.”

“Penelope.”, the brunette spoke just above a whisper.

“You don't have to say anything. I just need you to know that.”

Josie nodded, swallowing the lump inside her throat that had build up during the barista's little speech. Intertwining their hands the two made their way inside the apartment.

The next thirty minutes everybody introduced themselves and made some small talk until it was time to head out. The Incredibles 2 would be the movie they were going to watch. Every single one had seen the first back when they were little kids and the squeal had been much anticipated.

The open air area was surrounded by tall trees that made Penelope feel like they were the walls for the space that was going to be the cinema. Since the screen was located at the other end of the clearing you could see the stars in the dark blue sky above. Shining down on them as if they wanted to watch too. 

There was enough space for a hundred people so the group had to sit closely together. After all they weren't the only people who had waited for the movie for about a decade. 

Already approaching the area Penelope knew that she had to orchestra the ideal constellation of people sitting next to each other to avoid another incident. Being next to Maeve would only hurt Josie, so Maeve would have to understand that she couldn't be that close to her. The strawberry blonde and her had to work things out and her leaning in close to whisper comments in her ear was definitely not necessary for that.

Landon could help her get her ex next to two other people, however her best friend was pretty occupied with his new girlfriend, so he and Hope were not an option. Amelia had done enough for one day in the barista's opinion so that left Lizzie and MG who seemed to be getting along splendidly.

The barista smirked. If she wasn't reading the signs wrong, it looked like the blonde twin was developing a little crush on the guy. Thinking back to how she met MG and every time they had seen each other after, she crossed her fingers for it to be true. MG deserved to be liked back and they would actually make a really cute couple.

Squeezing Josie's hand to reassure her that she'd be back soon, Penelope made her way over to the two.

“Hey Lizzie.”, she interrupted their conversation.

“Let me guess, you need me to get the new girl away from you and my sister?”, the college girl raised her eyebrow at her.

“Yes, thank you.”, Penelope rolled her eyes. 

She wasn't used to being on the other end of that kind of conversation. Usually she was the one to already know why someone came to her. The situation being turned around by the blonde felt unnerving, though she was glad that Lizzie was like that. She had helped with her sister a great deal and the raven haired girl was thankful for the blonde and everything she had done so far and was still doing just so that her twin could find permanent happiness.

“Amelia, Maeve, you guys are going to sit with me!”, the cheerleader announced, dragging the two new additions into the opposite direction of where Josie and Penelope were, “I need to get to know you two better before I can accept your application to join our friendship group.”

The barista chuckled. The girl was hilarious in the best possible way.

 

“You went to my twin for help?”, Josie asked a bit amazed.

She couldn’t quite believe what she had just witnessed. It was no secret that Lizzie was on board with her going after the raven haired girl and that she was supportive in every way. But that Penelope, the girl she had serious feelings for, would also go to her for help stunned her. Her sister was one of the most important people to her. It had always been a fear of hers that the person she would end up loving wouldn't get along with the blonde. That they would only be friendly around each other without being actual friends.

“Yeah, seemed like the best option.”, Penelope simply shrugged.

However there was nothing simple about it. Knowing that not only did Lizzie support her relationship with the barista, but the both of them actually liked and somewhat even trusted each other meant incredibly much to the brunette.

The previews started to roll and everyone settled down. Penelope scooted close to the brunette and as if it were a reflex, maybe it was because deep down Josie wanted to be as close as possible to the other girl, she leaned her head on Penelope's shoulder.

Hope and Landon were already cuddling and it made the college girl smile, imagining going on double dates with her best friend. The four of them had an amazing dynamic. Landon and Penelope complemented each other so well and Hope was basically a sister to her.

Going to the coffee shop on her first day of her first semester had been the best decision she had ever made. Not only had she met Penelope who had helped her to grow so much, but her best friend had also met a great guy.

Lizzie was animatedly talking to MG and Josie could see how much her twin cared for the guy. Calling it quits with Rafael had done her good. She seemed lighter and happier. And with MG her smile was even wider than usual.

It was crazy to think about how much things had changed for the three over the past few months. How much better they were now.

“What are you thinking about?”, Penelope asked curiously.

“I'm happy.”, Josie realized, “Despite the road we still have ahead of us I'm happy.”

It was the truth. Being with the raven haired girl made her feel so full. And sure they weren't even official yet and Maeve was here with still unclear intentions. But the way Penelope made her feel, made all the problems feel less severe.

“You're amazing, you know that?”, the barista smiled, something unreadable in her green eyes.

“Oh I've been telling you that since day one.”, the brunette joked with a wide grin spreading across her face.

Narrowing her eyes, Penelope nudged her playfully: “And here I thought you had undergone some character development.”

“How hilarious would it be if I hadn't and you had still ended up dating me.”, Josie laughed.

“That'd be fucking tragic. I think I'd check myself into a mental hospital and would tell the doctors run some tests.”, the barista rolled her eyes, but clearly amused.

“Rude.”, the college girl glared at her, “I wasn't that bad.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.”, Penelope teased, kissing her cheek in reassurance that she was still teasing her.

“Joke aside. I can see why you like me better now. I do too.”

That brought such a wide smile to the other girl's face that Josie felt warm inside.

Over the duration of the movie Penelope and Josie commented on almost everything happening on the screen. It even got to the point where Landon and Hope who were sitting right next to them were whisper-yelling at them to stop all their talking. But that only made the pair laugh out loud and soon the new couple gave up on trying to stop them and joined their commenting session.

Once the movie was over Lizzie made her way towards her and looped her arm through the brunette's arm.

“I've got to admit, Amelia really isn't that bad.”, the blonde stated.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. She's pretty cool and I honestly believe that she only wants what's best for Penelope. The way she talks about her and their trip is so genuine that if she was acting, she'd have to be a psychopath.”

Josie chuckled: “So we like her? I mean I still have to have a heart to heart with her, but you know how much your opinion means to me.”

“We like her.”, Lizzie nodded, “Maeve on the other hand is a puzzle. I have no clue what to think about that girl.”

“That's unnerving.”, was the only thing Josie came up with to say.

Hearing her twin call Penelope's first love a puzzle couldn't be good. The vibes she got from the strawberry blonde had been weird form the beginning. There was something about her that Josie couldn't put her finger on.

“I know you don't want to hear this Jo, but I think she still loves your girl.”

That made the brunette stop dead in her tracks: “You're right, I don't want to hear this.”

“I could be wrong, I'm sorry for bringing this up. I just thought you should know.”, Lizzie backtracked with what she had said.

“I know Lizzie. But please let's change the subject.”, Josie replied, a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Change to the subject to what?”, a sweet voice asked behind them.

Turning around the college girl was met with the one person she didn't want to get to know in the group. Maeve.

“How'd you like the movie?”, Josie tried to come up with anything at all to ask the girl.

“Small talk? Really? I've expected something more from someone who's dating the Penelope Park.”, Maeve smiled, though there was nothing nice about the smile nor how she replied.

The brunette was too perplex to fire a come back, so she opted for glaring at the girl. Lizzie on the other hand wasn't as stunned as her twin.

“Listen”, she started pissed off, “Unlike you my sister at least tries to be civil with you.”

“Easy there tiger.”, Maeve grinned unfazed, “I guess I just had this idea of how the person P is dating is. Your twin here doesn't correspond with that image. I apologize if you and your sister felt attacked.”

“Don't worry about it.”, the brunette faked a smile, “Considering she dated Ivy I'm not surprised you lack manners.”

Now it was Maeve's turn to be baffled.

Before she could say something Penelope sweeped in: “What are you talking about over here?”

The cheerleader could sense how tense the barista was. Who would't be though when faced with a situation like this?

“I was just about to ask Josie if she wanted to go grab coffee some time tomorrow. To get to know each other more, you know?”

The way Maeve said it made it almost seem like a threat. Not only did she put Josie in a tough spot, but Penelope must feel more than overwhelmed right now.

“Sure, why not.”, the tall brunette tried to sound as sincere as possible through gritted teeth.

“Great. I'll get your number from Penelope when I'm back at her place and I'll text you.”, the blonde smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo Maeve, what do you guys think? And how do you feel about Amelia? 
> 
> I'd love to hear all your thoughts on the characters and the path this story is taking :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been gone for a while and I really suck with updates lately but here goes another one! Since this story is nearing its end I'll try to update quicker and more frequently now
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one :D (There are a lot of deep talks coming your way)

Penelope had overheard the short conversation between Josie and Maeve and it honestly ticked her off. Landon, her ex, Amelia and she had arrived back their apartment. They still had to figure out where everyone would be sleeping since their original plan hadn't included the strawberry blonde. But before anyone could come up with suggestions the barista pulled the blonde girl aside.

“What was that back there with Josie?”, she got straight to the point, her tone portraying how much she disagreed with the other girl's behavior.

“I don't know what you're talking about P.”, Maeve played dumb.

“Yeah you do. Just because I loved you at one point doesn't mean you can talk to my girl like that. I'm with her now. Not you.”, Penelope emphasized the important words so she would get it through her thick skull.

“Jesus why are you making such a big deal out of this?”, the girl was saying defensively, trying to deflect how much the barista's disapproval got under her skin.

The raven haired girl narrowed her eyes. For one because she wanted her ex to know that she was not pleased with the answer and secondly because she was trying to figure out what was going on in her mind. It wasn't like the blonde to be rude to others. One thing she had always loved about Maeve was that she was kind, compassionate and not a spoiled brat like so many other people she knew. Something about all of this was off.

“Just be honest with me. Please.”, the barista asked her, anger pushed aside now to make room for understanding.

Maeve sighed, running her fingers through her hair before finally replying: “I was jealous. I know you went to Lizzie so I wasn't anywhere near you and Josie. And that hurt. But I mean I get it. Still I couldn't help but feel left out and jealous.”

Her answer made sense and the tension that had bugged her ever since the overheard conversation left her body.

“Listen. I want you to feel welcomed, but at the same time I can't have you sabotaging my relationship with Josie.”, she stated her case.

“I know. I'm sorry about how I reacted and I'll apologize to her tomorrow.”, the blonde assured her.

“That brings me to my next question: Why would you want to have coffee with her?”, Penelope wanted to know.

“It might seem strange, but I want to get to know her. You care about her and I promise I won't do anything to destroy what you have. I just feel like I need to know what she's all about.”, Maeve explained.

The raven haired girl nodded. If it was something the blonde thought she needed to do she wasn't going to intervene. She trusted Maeve to keep her promise and to keep her jealousy in check. After all she had once been the person she had trusted the most in the world. As funny as it sounded, but time and a terribly heartbreak hadn't changed a thing in that department.

Joining Landon and Amelia again her best friend announced: “I'm going to go sleep in your room and leave my bed to Amelia and Maeve if that's alright with you?”

“Sounds good.”, the barista agreed. That way there was as little conflict as possible.

 

Penelope couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts were running through her mind and were keeping her up. 

She truly thought that she would be happier about Maeve coming back into her life. So many times she had used her superstitious wishes for this exact event and now that it had finally come true she was wondering if it had really been that desirable.

Sure she was glad that there was a chance now to work this out and get closure. Hell she even had a heart attack when she had first layed eyes on her again. It had reminded her of all their good memories and how deep her feelings for the blonde had once ran. But after the initial shock and overwhelming about of emotions there weren't many left. It made her think about how sometimes people tended to over-romanticize past loves and memories and how it might be the case for her now.

Her love for Maeve had been great and their shared moments had been one of the most treasured and happiest of her life. When she looked at her now though the giddiness was gone. Of course she still cared about the blonde and found the prospect about them being friends amazing, but the love was gone.

And then there was Josie. Just thinking about her made Penelope smile.

Sighing she stood up, taking a pen and her notebook and tiptoed into the kitchen. She could see that Amelia and Maeve were asleep in Landon's bed so she settled for the kitchen island. Laying the pen and paper in front of her she stared into the darkness.

Something inside her was itching for her to get her feelings down on paper. All these new revelations had created chaos inside her heart and mind and it was making her uneasy. She needed to write in order to figure out what everything meant.

Tapping the pen mindlessly on the hard surface she let her mind wander.

There was just enough light to let her see what she was writing:

Your return caught me off guard  
Reminded me of feelings I once had in my heart  
However when I look at her I realize  
I no longer see you with the same eyes

She makes me feel more alive  
Makes me feel excited about the dive  
That is a new relationship  
And somehow I believe we might be a perfect fit

The only question remaining is  
If I'm truly ready for this  
I know I'm over you  
But can my heart accept...

Penelope stopped writing, the pen hovering over the space next to her written words. She knew what she wanted to write, but something was stopping her from actually writing them down.

“But can my heart accept a love that is new?”, a voice behind her whispered.

The barista was so startled that she almost fell off the bar stool. Maeve was standing behind her, a indescribable smile on her soft features.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to make you jump. You were so focused that I didn't want to disturb you and I couldn't help myself but read what you were writing. I haven't read something of yours in so long and I remember how much I used to love hearing you read your work out loud to me.”, the blonde mumbled, careful not to wake anyone up.

“It's alright.”, Penelope assured her. 

Landon and Maeve had been the only people who had ever read anything of hers. Still time had passed since the last time the blonde had read anything the barista had written. However, a bit to her surprise, it didn't bother her that the girl had read it without her permission just now.

“So was I right?”, Maeve wanted to know.

“About what?”, the raven haired girl asked puzzled.

“But can my heart accept a love that is new?”, the blonde repeated her words from earlier.

Considering their connection it shouldn't amaze the barista that the girl had been in fact right. The words were the ones she had hesitated to write down.

“Yeah.”

Her short reply made the blonde raise her eye brow. It was enough to let her know that she was waiting for her to elaborate but subtle enough to not be invasive if she didn't want to talk about it.

“Well”, Penelope sighed, “You know how I always turn to writing when life gets too much? It helps me put my feelings in order and figure out what is going on. But at the same time it's scary because once I write it down it's set in stone. It's reality. I only write what I honestly feel, so once I'm done I'm being literally faced with the truth. I'm not always ready for that.”

“I get that. Back when we were together I always thought how amazing it was that you were writing. At the same time though I kind of knew that I could never do what you do. Even without the writing you were always honest with yourself. Despite sometimes not wanting to be. I admire that about you. Have from the very start.”

“Thank you.”, the barista cracked a smile.

“You're welcome.”, the blonde grinned, “We should get some sleep though. So I guess good night?”

Penelope looked down at her watch and saw that it was past two in the morning: “Definitely. Good night Maeve.”

Just as the raven haired girl was about to walk towards her own room her ex held her back, making her look at the girl in confusion.

“Although I don't want to say it: You already have.”, with that she let go of the Penelope's arm and went over to Landon's bed where Amelia was still asleep.

At first the words didn't make sense to her but after a few seconds of her settling back into bed and staring at the ceiling it dawned on her. Maeve had told her that her heart had already accepted a new love.

 

Josie wasn't the kind of person to dream every day, or at least remember that she had dreamt something. But whenever she did remember a dream it stuck with her and she would try to interpret what it could have possibly meant.

When the brunette woke up the day after the movie night she was able to recall her dream. It wasn't a surprise to her that Penelope had been in it. Ever since she had met the barista she had dreamt about her twice. The college girl didn't know how much that was for other people, however for her it was quite the number.

It hadn't been a dream of loosing the raven haired girl, nor had there been any threats by other people as she had expected. Everything had been fine and they had been happy. However only shortly before she had woken up something had changed. She had told Penelope that she loved her. If she were to tell Lizzie, the blonde would be over the moon and gush over it all day long. But Josie wasn't going to tell her because of how her dream had ended. Penelope hadn't said it back.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes the brunette got dressed and ready for her classes. But despite being busy she couldn't shake the bad feeling about the fact that the barista hadn't said it back. Sure it had only been a dream, but sometimes a construct of the subconscious could be cruel too.

Walking outside to make her way over campus to her lecture hall she was hit with cold air. The days were beginning to get shorter and colder. Summer had faded into autumn. Crisp morning air engulfed her like a blanket and Josie put her hands in her pockets to keep them as warm as possible. It was especially cold today and she was already not looking forward to the colder seasons of the year.

What would be fun though was spending days inside with Penelope. Cuddled up in blankets, watching silly shows and just enjoying each other's company. They could go ice skating, to Christmas markets and other fun winter activities. Considering that they were still a thing then. But despite her dream the brunette had a feeling that she would get to do all of it with the barista. That they would still be together at that point. Maybe even officially.

The thought that Penelope asking her to be her girlfriend, or the other way around, not happening soon though was bothering her. Josie wanted to be able to call her that. There was no one else she would rather date. Hell she had even figured out that she loved the raven haired girl.

However Maeve was now in the picture. Not as a possible again-girlfriend, but back in the picture.

Thinking about the blonde made the college girl feel uneasy. Their last conversation had been anything but good. It had looked like the other girl hated her. Disapproved of her for Penelope. And the latter had really hurt Josie if she was being honest.

Knowing that she would have coffee with the strawberry blonde some time today didn't make her feel better too.

Now that she was on that topic neither did the fact that Maeve had slept over at Penelope's. Had they shared the same room? The same bed even? Had something happened? Or was she just over-thinking the entire ting? Probably the latter.

Shaking her head she took a seat and tried her best to concentrate on what her professor was talking about.

 

Maeve had texted her during one of her classes to ask her if 4pm would work for her, to which the brunette had said yes. Going to the coffee shop, thankfully not the one where Penelope worked at, she felt anxious. She didn't know what to expect of this meeting. Josie didn't want to hear about how great their relationship had been and how much of a connection that will never go away the two girls have. The college girl didn't even really know why she had even agreed to it in the first place. She guessed because it had been the polite things to do. Be the bigger person or something.

The cafe was different to her usual one. It was less homey and louder. Maeve was sitting in a corner that would give them as much privacy as it was possible in this establishment.

“Hey.”, Josie greeted her politely as she sat down.

“Hey Josie.”, the blonde gave her a tentative smile, “First of all I want to apologize for my behavior last night. Penelope called me out on it and I realized that I was out of line. I'm sorry.”

That had been the last thing the cheerleader had expected to hear from the other girl. It was a nice surprise though. Especially that the raven haired girl had voiced her disagreement with her ex. Once again the barista had stood up for her and it warmed her heart to know that Penelope always had her back.

“Apology accepted”, she replied, “But I'm still not sure why we're doing this right now.”

“I just want to get to know you.”

“So you can figure out your best strategy to win her back?”, Josie couldn't help but ask skeptically.

After what Lizzie had said to her last night and her general conception of the girl sitting opposite of her up to this point gave her every right to ask that question.

“Don't get me wrong I made some mistakes with P in the past and seeing her now definitely has me wanting to try again.”, the blonde started and anger welled up in Josie, “But I don't think it'll happen.”

To say that Josie was baffled was an understatement. The blonde was so different in this moment compared to the few times she had seen her. Almost like she was a new person. Maybe that was the point though. The face Maeve had shown her yesterday wasn't really her. Feelings could change the way someone acted. Plus there was the fact that Penelope had been in love with her. Knowing the barista she wouldn't have fallen for someone rude and selfish.

“Why would you say that?”, the college girl wanted to know.

“It's not my place to elaborate on that. What I can and will say is that she has moved on.”, the girl said and added almost more to herself than to the brunette, “Otherwise I would still be her muse.”

There was a sadness in her ocean eyes. Like she accepted that she had lost something great.

“What do you mean by that?”, Josie was confused, even more than before.

Of course she knew that Penelope was a writer. Never had she really thought about how someone could be her muse though. It made sense, still it had never crossed her mind. And to find out that Maeve had been such an inspiration to the raven haired girl that it had made her write about her made jealousy bubble up inside.

“Forget it.”, she said quickly, almost like she felt guilty for saying the last part out loud to begin with, “I'd much rather like to just talk to you and your story with P.”

Josie was dying to know what the blonde had meant by what she had said, but she was enough of a realist to know that there was no way Maeve would her give more information.

So she settled for telling how she had met the raven haired girl and how their relationship had progressed over the past couple of months.

 

At the beginning it had been weird to talk to Penelope's ex. As time went by though it got easier and the cheerleader had to admit that Maeve wasn't that bad. She was actually funny and had wit. They had started with the barista as a topic, since it was the only thing the girls knew that they had in common, but eventually ended up talking about everything and nothing. It was easy to talk to the blonde. Though of course it was no match to the level of easiness and comfort that she had with Lizzie, Hope, Landon and Penelope.

Still, despite getting along with the girl she didn't completely trust her motives. I mean how could she after what had happened last night. Plus there was obviously still something that Maeve felt for the raven haired barista.

Lizzie had been right when she had told her that she didn't think that the blonde was over Penelope. Josie could hear it in the way she spoke of her. Could see it in the way her eyes shone just a bit brighter whenever she talked about her.

The brunette didn't comment on it though. She thought it was best not to stir the pot. Even if she had wanted to she wouldn't know how to approach the subject. It was best for everyone involved if whatever feelings there were still left, to leave it to the two ex girlfriends to work out.

Of course the college girl hated the thought of the barista and Maeve talking about whatever was left in their hearts, but she couldn't change it. Josie trusted Penelope and was confident in what they had.

When she got back to her dorm room Lizzie and Hope were re-watching one of their all time favorite series.

“Hey guys.”, the brunette announced her presence and the two girls looked up.

“Hey, how was coffee with the vulture?”, Lizzie wanted to know.

“Actually it was fine. We got along well, but I think you were right about her not being over Penelope. I decided to not butt in though. I think that's for the best.”, Josie summed up.

“I think that's smart.”, Hope commented before the blonde could get a word in, “I'm sure Penelope will let her know that she doesn't feel the same. She's head over heals for you.”

“You really think so?”, Josie shyly smiled. She would never get tired of hearing other people tell her that Penelope really liked her too.

So her best friend telling her that the barista felt the same way about her as she did made her heart swell with warmth. She knew that she was in love with the raven haired girl, had been close to telling her a few times even. However the fear of not hearing it back had always stopped the college girl before she could get the words out.

“For sure.”, Lizzie voiced her agreement, “It was clear as day during the movie. She tuned out everything but you. I mean Maeve was right there, but she only had eyes for you. Back at her apartment when Maeve first arrived I bet she was just surprised and overwhelmed. The way she handled things back there are definitely not a good representation on what is going on.”

Josie smiled and sat down on her bed. She had really needed to hear that. Penelope telling her ex not to leave and their intense stares had really shaken her up. To now hear those reassuring words from two of the most important people in her life was a huge relief.

 

Since Maeve was out to meet up with Josie Penelope had decided to go do something with Landon and Amelia.

The barista hadn't really had the chance to spend some quality time with the blonde yet and with her ex girlfriend gone for a while it was the perfect opportunity for the three of them to do something alone.

After a long discussion on where to go they unanimously agreed on going to a roller-skating rink. The barista hadn't been to one in a while even though Landon and her used to love to go skating. It wasn't because the two best friends were amazing at it, rather because they always bet on who fell first and always had a grand time together.

Amelia admitted that she had only skated three times in her life so Landon and Penelope had made it their mission to try to teach her as much as they possibly could so they could do a race at the end.

The rink was rather small but definitely made up by having a really cool and edgy interior design. The walls were all black and it had black lighting that made it possible for the glowing graffiti to be seen. White clothing beamed in the light and everything just seemed much cooler than it would have with normal lights.

Time flew by, the three of them laughing whenever someone almost collided with somebody or fell on their butt. It was so carefree and a much needed get away for Penelope. The weight of Maeve was still on her shoulders and especially her words from in the middle of the night. Skating with her friends distracted her and made her smile a lot.

Landon, who had been skeptical of Amelia ever since she had shown up on their doorstep with the barista's ex, warmed up to the blonde and Penelope could see that he had taken her into her heart.

After two hours her best friend announced that he had to go because he wanted to take Hope on a surprise date. It was sweet how much he cared for the brunette and how often he came up with idea on how to make her extra happy.

With her best friend gone, it was only the raven haired girl and Amelia now. Tired from all the skating the two girls made their way outside with Landon and then went their separate ways.

Near the roller-skating rink was a park so they settled for relaxing on a park bench to rest their feet. The sun was shining through the leaves of the tress around them and gave them a little bit of warmth that the air was missing without the sun's rays.

“How are you doing P?”, Amelia broke their comfortable silence.

The barista looked at her in surprise. She hadn't expected the blonde to ask her that. After all it had been her to bring Maeve with her. But maybe that was the reason for her asking. Amelia cared about how her decision affected her.

“I honestly don't really know.”, Penelope opened up with a sigh.

“I'm sorry for overstepping by the way. I had no right to bring her, I was trying to help though.”

“I know. You're right about it not being up to you. However I know you had your heart in the right place.”, the raven haired girl assured her with a small smile, which the blonde returned.

After a moment of contemplating, mouth opening and closing a few times, Amelia finally said: “Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like Maeve coming back didn't affect you in the way you expected. At first it was exactly like I thought it would be, but during the movie and after the credits rolled something had changed. And then this morning I had a feeling like something really profound had changed again.”

The barista had to stifle a joyless laugh.

“I'm here if you want to talk about it.”, the blonde offered.

Penelope closed her eyes and mumbled: “Maeve told me that I love Josie last night while you guys were asleep.”

Amelia's eyes widened: “Wow. Didn't expect that.”

“Neither did I.”, the girl whispered, another chuckle escaping her lips, “Especially after she had told me that she might still have feelings for me.”

“So that's the problem? Maeve willing to leave all possibilities open?”

“No.”

Penelope couldn't bring herself to say more than that one word. She had barely gotten any sleep after her talk with Maeve in the kitchen. And the sleep she got had been stressing her out. Leaving her will less energy than she had fallen asleep with. It wasn't like her ex girlfriend's observation had taken her by surprise. At least not completely. It was more of the subconscious reveal that had followed their nightly conversation.

“Penelope?”

Apparently the barista had been silent for a while and had spaced out on whatever it was that Amelia had said.

“Josie is amazing.”, the raven haired girl started, “And I know that. I mean I want to see her all the time. Whenever I'm with her I'm happy. Her heart is so pure, so kind and so undeniably her that when I look at her affection bubbles up and I can't help but be amazed by her. The date she took me on after my trip to Asia was magical and the way she opened up to me over time, the way she showed me her true colors still make my heart skip a beat to this moment.”

When Penelope looked at Amelia she could see an encouraging glint in the girl's hazel eyes. The blonde didn't want to push. Wanted to give her the time she needed to express herself but her curiosity was undeniable.

So the barista continued: “After Maeve I thought I'd never fall in love again. Especially with no closure. I mean how could you with no definite end with your ex right? And then Josie came into my life.”

Taking a deep breath Penelope prepared herself for what she was going to say next.

“I was so caught up with not being over Maeve, with me trying to convince myself that I was never going to be in love again that I didn't realize that it was already too late. I am in love with Josie. I have been for a while now. I just wasn't ready to see it. And since last night it's all I think about. It all makes sense to me now. Why I was fighting her so hard on coming into my life at the beginning. Why I didn't want her to get to know all of me, all aspects of my life. Why I took the first opportunity to get away from her after she slipped up. Why I didn't send Maeve home immediately after I saw her standing in front of me. Somehow my heart found it easier to hold onto a love that was gone than to accept a new one. Probably because I know that if I were to lose Josie it would hit me harder than anything else. I'm utterly in love with this girl, but admitting that to myself was, or rather is, truly terrifying.”

There was a moment of silence. Everything was out in the open and the barista felt raw, vulnerable.

“Lies are easy you know. They can be a soothing lullaby to all your fears. But the truth? The truth can be scary, because there is no way to undermine it. It's simply true and you can't argue with the truth. All you can do is face it and embrace it. Nothing can make you stronger than accepting it. Because by doing that, you may have a risk to lose or win it all. But if you deny your true feelings you'll end up hurting yourself and others. Not intentionally of course, I mean you were just scared to act according to what you really feel. But when it comes to love you have to be brave. Only by being courageous you can win the truly important battles in life. And love might just be one of the most important ones.”

She let Amelia's words sink in.

“Who knew you were such a philosopher.”, the barista chuckled, but added on a more serious note: “You're right though. And if I'm to tell Josie, she deserves it to be in a romantic way.”

 

Hope had just been picked up by Landon so it was only her sister and her left. Josie hadn't really thought about what had popped into her mind during the movie until she had seen her best friend light up when her boyfriend stood in front of her. Now though she couldn't help but wonder.

“Hey Liz.”, she started, “Do you like MG?”

The blonde's eyes went wide in stunned surprise and for a second the cheerleader thought that her sister would change the subject.

“Of course, he's funny.”, Lizzie deflected the true meaning of her twin's question.

“You know what I mean. But if you don't want to get into it that's fine too.”, the brunette reassured her.

“No it's fine.”, her twin sighed, “I guess the past couple of month not only have changed things for you and Hope, but also me. It made me think about everything and when I finally broke up with Rafael I was really free to just think about what I want for myself in life. It's funny how you can strive for certain things from a very young age on, only to discover along the way that the things you thought you wanted back then are the furthest away from what you know you want now.”

Josie didn't have to say anything. Lizzie knew that she knew exactly what she was talking about. All the plan-making and playing the right cards to achieve the goal. In the end the brunette had to learn that it didn't matter as much as she had thought it did. Life happens. There's little one can control.

“MG makes me laugh more than any other guy I've dated so far. If it hadn't been for you guys making me go to this one movie night I would have never given him a second glance. And now whenever I look at him I have to smile. It's not that I have feelings for him, but I know that there's potential. And to be honest I have no idea how I feel about that. I just got out of a relationship and he's so different.”

Lizzie ran her fingers through her hair, as if it could sort out the thoughts whirling around in her mind.

“Just wait and see where it goes. MG is an amazing guy and I'm sure that with time you'll figure out what it is that is between you guys. He would never put pressure on you. Hell I don't even think he would have the confidence to ask you out without our support. MG is one of the good ones. Time will tell you all you need to know. Just be honest with yourself and you'll be fine.”

Blue eyes stared at her. Pride visible in them and in the slight smile that was displayed on her face.

“You really did grow up.”, the blonde chuckled.

Josie grinned in response. She had grown and it made her happier. Not denying herself anything she truly wanted and taking risks had transformed her. Life felt better like this. It was easier while being harder at the same time.

 

When Penelope got back home Maeve was already there. Not that she had expected anything else. Still it was weird to come back to her ex-girlfriend. The air had only been kind of cleared so the barista could still clearly feel something hanging in the air.

“I'll go take a shower.”, Amelia announced, wanting them to have time to talk.

Once she was gone the raven haired girl went to sit on one of the bar stools where her ex was already seated.

“So how was coffee with Josie?”, she wanted to know.

“It was fine. I can see why you feel the way you do about her.”, Maeve started, but biting her tongue to continue.

Penelope nodded to herself. At least nothing bad had happened. Still it made her feel uneasy how the blonde was holding words back.

“With everything going on in your life, do you know what event is coming up?”, the girl sitting next to her asked her after a short moment of silence.

The barista furrowed her brow. She had no idea what her ex was talking about, but the way she had said it made her think that she should. It was almost autumn. Autumn.

“Oh no.”

“I want you to take me as your date.”, the blonde stated, “I'm the better choice for this.”

Penelope's head shot up in anger. Adding 'for this' was entirely meaningless. The raven haired girl was well aware that Maeve didn't only mean for this one occasion but for everything. She was insinuating that she was the better choice altogether. That Josie was not right for this. For her.

“No. Forget it.”, the barista answer curtly.

“P.”, the blonde tried again, “This event is one of the most anticipated ones during the year. I know she attended one before. However that one wasn't that important and you know how much trouble she caused. People know me. They respect me and my family. Why wouldn't you take me instead of her?”

“Because you know that this is going to be bigger than a simple choice than who is going to be my date to that event. It's a choice for either you or her. Don't play dumb with me. You know me better than this.”

“Exactly. I know you better. Just tell her that this isn't an emotional decision. It's rational.”, Maeve continued to try to persuade her.

“Absolutely not. No one is going to believe that. Because it's a lie.”, Penelope snapped and stood up.

She had no desire to continue her conversation with her ex girlfriend anymore. After last night she had hoped that Maeve would back down and support her and her decision to be with the brunette. But clearly her hope's had been misplaced. Her ex would not give up that easily.

“Just give me this one chance!”, the blonde pleaded, standing up as well now, hand grabbing ahold of the barista's wrist. Gently but strong enough for her to know that she was reaching out. Emotionally as well as physically.

“I have chosen Josie and I will continue to choose her every single day.”

“You don't even know that we can't be as good as before. And we both know how great we were together.”

That made Penelope look at the strawberry blonde girl. With one swift motion she freed her wrist and looked into her stormy ocean eyes.

“Even if we are as good as before, it cannot compare to what I feel for Josie. I never thought I could love someone after you, but I surprised myself twice with her. For one I fell for her. And secondly I love her more than I have ever loved you.”

Hurt flashed through her blue orbs and in one last attempt she said: “You can't compare your feelings for someone to somebody else. Those have always been your words.”

“And I stand by them. Still I can say that the feelings I have for her are on many occasions greater than those I had for you. We weren't perfect, you broke my heart and this right now is just toxic. Josie and I aren't toxic. We had to endure a lot, but in the end we both grew as people and grew closer together. We can't say that about us. I love her and I'm going to take Josie as my date. My decision is final. I hope you can accept it and support me and we can try to be friends. If you can't do that, please leave.”

The barista hadn't expected to lash out like this. To be fair though, she hadn't expected for Maeve to go this hard. Her ex wanted more from her than she could give her and a much as it pained the raven haired girl she had to be clear now. Maybe it was a bit harsh too, but she had to make the blonde see that there was no romantic future at all for them. At least not in her eyes. And that was enough for there to not be a future.

The look that Maeve gave her made her heart ache for the girl. Penelope knew that she was doing the right thing, still it sucked that she had to cause someone she once loved pain over it.

“I'll pack my things.”, her voice cracked with every word.

And in that moment the raven haired girl knew that the only scenario her ex had ever seen played out in her mind had been where she would choose to get back with her. Despite saying the opposite the blonde had agreed to come with Amelia to win her back. Maybe Penelope really had been the lucky one. Having been forced to move on by getting broken up with. Maybe leaving her because she was scared had never made Maeve think about actually moving on.

Tears were threatening to fall down the blonde's face and the barista cautiously stepped forward, taking her hand in her own.

“I really wish for you to be happy.”, she whispered, “And maybe one day we can be friends.”

“Yeah.”, Maeve sniffled, “Maybe one day.”

 

When Amelia got out of the shower and Landon was back home form his date with Hope Penelope got both of her friends up to date of what had happened with her ex girlfriend earlier.

“You did the right thing. And now you can really focus on Josie. There are no more obstacles for you so I think it's finally time for you two to enjoy what you have.”, Landon gave her a smile once she had finished talking.

“You're almost right”, the barista agreed, “Now the only thing left are my parents. And what better way to tackle this one last issue with the upcoming event. I'll ask Josie to come as my date. Right after I ask her to be my girlfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you guys thing? Maeve is out of the picture and everyone had kinds dealt with their feelings... Now the last issue they'll have to face will be the event...


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super happy with the execution of this chapter, but I hope you like it anyways!
> 
> Here goes the chapter you were all waiting for :)

After Penelope's decision to finally ask Josie to be her girlfriend she avoided further thinking about it by calling her parents. It was unusual for them to not have reminded her of the upcoming event. Especially since it was such a big deal each year. Everyone who was super influential and rich would be attending the event which would last for an entire weekend. Over the course of the couple of days, there would be a lot of different 'activities' to which the barista liked to refer to as schmoozing opportunities with a side of drinking top shelf drinks and pretending to care about the theme given.

After a few rings her father picked up and asked surprised: “Penelope. Are you calling about something in particular? I'm about to enter a meeting.”

“I was just wondering why you haven't called me about the annual autumn weekend. Someone else reminded me that it was coming up. It would have slipped my mind otherwise and you normally inform me of events I'd have to attend.”, the raven haired girl got straight to the point, aware that her father disliked conversations about anything before any meeting that was business related.

“Oh.”

That was the first time Penelope had ever heard her father respond in such a manner. He was a put-together man who never faltered in any way since it would portray insecurity.

But it only took her a second to figure it out.

“You don't want me to bring Josie as my plus one.”, she simply stated.

“I knew you would see sense. I'm so glad that that's sorted out. I have to go now, but I'll send you your invitation and all the information you need right after.”, he was about to hang up.

However before he could do that Penelope was quick to squeeze in one last thing: “I will take her as my date. We can discuss the terms of that agreement later, but that's non-negotiable.”

The barista hadn't done something like this before. Sure she had insisted to have an entire year to herself to try to become an established writer before studying something her parents suggested. But her parents as well as she herself, though undoubtedly only deep down, had know that that wasn't nearly enough time to achieve that goal. So this action right now just proved to the raven haired girl that she was all in. She would not let anything and nobody come between Josie and her again. The brunette meant way too much to deserve anything less than her all.

Her father didn't respond to her statement and just hung up. He and Penelope both knew though that there was no way he would risk their family's reputation and have her not attend the event.

Satisfied and thrilled by this development the barista made her way out of her room and to Landon who was reading a book on his bed.

“Why do you look like you just won the lottery? Well something like that because we both know you neither need the money nor do you value it as much as most people do.”, her best friend asked with a curious look on his face.

“I just told my parents to suck it up and accept that I'll take Josie as my date.”, the girl grinned proudly.

“Damn girl. Way to go for sure. So what's next on the agenda?”, Landon gave her a wide smile.

“I need you to go out shopping with me before I meet up with Josie tomorrow.”, Penelope returned his smile. And as he enthusiastically jumped up from the bed it only got brighter.

 

Josie was startled when Lizzie shouted: “Suck it you vulture!”

Hope who was just as spooked as the cheerleader by the random outburst asked: “What the hell Lizzie? What happened?”

“You'll never guess what happened”, the blonde started and paused, only to continue when she realized that the two other girls were not going to guess, “Maeve left town. Guess Penelope did come through as I always thought she would.”

“How do you know?”, Hope wanted to know.

“I found her on social media and she just posted in her story that she is at an airport.”, the twin smirked triumphantly.

Josie couldn't help but grin herself. Maeve had posed a threat to her relationship with the barista, despite having faith in the raven haired girl and their connection. Knowing that she was gone lifted a huge weight off of the brunette's shoulders and she felt ecstatic about it.

“This calls for celebration.”, her sister announced and started to get ready.

“Liz what are you doing?”, she asked her with an amused frown on her face.

“I'll text MG and Chelsea. Hope will text Landon if she wants to and then we'll go out to our favorite bar. This is a good day my dear sister and the first round will be on you since it's because of your relationship with Penelope that we're having this celebration.”, the blonde explained.

“We're not going to invite Penelope?”, Josie furrowed her brow in confusion.

“No silly. That wouldn't be tasteful since we're having a party because she told her first love to leave. Get with the program.”

The brunette couldn't help but chuckle. Her twin was in such a good mood and it definitely showed.

Hope suddenly squealed excitedly and now it was Lizzie's turn to quizzically look at their best friend. It was rare that the brunette had such cute outbreaks.

“What is making you so happy?”, she asked her.

“Oh nothing. I just texted Landon.”, the girl looked sheepishly, “Unfortunately he can't make it though.”

“And that's a reason to be all giddy because...?”, the blonde inquired.

“Don't worry about it.”, Hope deflected and the twins knew that there was no use to press for more information since that always ended in defeat.

“Well then let's go. We'll meet the other two when we're there.”, Lizzie decided and everyone got ready.

 

The bar was crowded for a weeknight. Every booth was occupied and even every seat at the bar was taken. People were standing around and making the best of their seatless situation. The atmosphere was great and the people were practically buzzing with positive energy.

Once they entered a lot of eyes were on them. Josie had almost pushed their popularity to the back of her mind due to the latest occurrences, but it really hit her again standing there. The way she looked at it now though was different. She still liked that everybody knew who she was and that her social standing was high. However instead of feeling entitled about it, it kind of humbled her.

“So which table are we taking over?”, Chelsea, who had sneaked up on them, asked behind them.

“Why don't we ask the booth with the fewest people in it if we could join them?”, Josie suggested.

Lizzie and Hope shot her a surprised but proud look while the other cheerleader said: “Really? That has never been your style.”

“Well I guess I've changed.”, Josie smirks happily, “And I mean there is no way they're going to say no to us joining them. And who knows, maybe we'll leave with new friends.”

The blonde cheerleader grins. “I think I like this new you. Let's do it. Like you said, there is no bad outcome to us being friendly.”

With that they searched the crowd, looking for a booth with as little people inside as possible. Most of them were filled up, but there was one if the back that only had three people and could easily fit Josie's group. So they all headed for the table and eyes immediately shot up to meet the brunette's eyes.

“Josie Saltzman.”, the girl with pearly pink dyed hair stated in surprise. They had never met before this, but it didn't surprise anyone that she knew who Josie was. Popularity had been the tall girl's goal all her life after all.

“Hey. We were wondering...”, Josie started, but was interrupted by one of the guys.

“Sure. We can leave, don't worry about it.”

“No!”, she called in a haste and continued to explain, “You don't have to leave. The bar is packed. We were wondering if you would mind if we joined.”

The girl with the dyed hair shot her a questioning glance, as if to determine if she was messing with them: “Really? I mean we don't mind. Just figured you would.”

The comment hit right into her insecurities. Penelope had had her assumptions about who she was when they first met and it had bugged her. To find out that she really had the reputation for being a mean popular girl was making her rueful. Of course she had been aware that she had only popular friends and that she had never been nice to people she didn't know. But to see how far that reputation had gotten was still something new to her. The brunette had never cared about that before. She had the life she always wanted for herself. Now things were different though. She had worked on herself because of Penelope. It had made her happier and more considerate of her actions. Maybe this night would not only be a celebration of Maeve being gone for good, but also of a new beginning at campus. Josie wanted to be the nice popular girl. Someone that everybody wanted to be friends with. But not because of her social status, but for her personality.

“We would love to join you.”, Lizzie said when her twin didn't say anything for a bit too long.

The group shrugged and scooted over to make room for the newcomers. The brunette could sense the unsureness radiating off of the group of three. She just hoped that with time they could let loose and give her and her friends a chance, the benefit of doubt concerning their past behavior and reputation.

“So what are your names?”, Hope was the first one to try to break the ice.

 

When the bar was about to close everybody had gotten acquainted and was smiling. The night had been great and the three had warmed up to the group. There had been a few moments of surprise whenever Josie or one of her friends had complimented one of them, had shown interest in something they were saying or generally done something really nice. But as the hours had passed there was no wariness anymore and it almost felt like they had all become friends.

Hope, Lizzie and Josie had made their way back to their dorm room and decided, still buzzed from the drinks and still giddy with happiness, to watch a couple of episodes before they would all fall asleep.

“You know guys”, the blonde started, “I feel like this is a new start for all of us. The beginning of a new era of sorts.”

Hope chuckled: “How drunk are you?”

“Very.”, she smirked, “But that doesn't invalidate my feelings. I like how things are and I can't wait for whatever is coming. It'll be good. You have Landon, you have Penelope and I think MG and I have something great too.”

“Ah this is where this is going.”, Josie smiled.

“I can't help it. He's just so funny and GOOD. Like he's genuinely a nice guy and that's so hard to find. MG cares about me and somehow he puts up with my craziness. Rafael was always so annoyed whenever I wasn't acting perfectly. He wasn't perfect, but somehow whenever I did something wrong he made me feel like he was better than me. MG on the other hand just smiles in his adorable kind of way and is my calming rock.”

“You should go and hang out with him more. Like just the two of you. Not as in a date, but just so you can see what's there.”

“Maybe I should.”, Lizzie nods and then the conversation was over and everyone was looking back at the screen again until one by one they fell asleep.

 

The next morning the three girls were woken up by a persistent knocking on their door. Josie didn't feel like getting up at all. It was still very early and even though she didn't have a hangover she wanted to bask in the in the comfort of her bed a little bit longer.

“Can somebody get that?”, Lizzie groaned, pulling her blanket over her head. She had had the most to drink last night and was definitely feeling the aftermath now.

“Josie will get it.”, Hope decided and sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and reached for her phone to check her messages, smiling when she probably saw one from her boyfriend.

Since no one was apparently going to answer the door the brunette threw off her blanket and made her way towards the door where somebody was still knocking non stop.

When she opened the door Penelope stood there smiling, greeting her rather chipper: “Good morning! I brought coffee for everyone. And since I'm your barista I know all your orders by heart.”

Josie was stunned, but smiled widely nonetheless. Being woken up by the raven haired girl made her feel tingly inside and she couldn't help but feel three words echoing in her heart. She loved that girl and there was no denying it. 

And Penelope looking this good at this early hour of the day only made her breath catch. She had a black OffWhite biker jacket on, paired with grey tight jeans and a simple white shirt. The way it all fitted her and the confident attitude she was wearing her clothes with was intoxicating. The brunette couldn't fathom how she got so lucky.

“You're the best.”, she said and stepped aside to let the girl in.

“I know.”, Penelope smirked and closed the distance to place a lingering kiss to her cheek.

The barista handed everyone their coffee and then turned her attention back to Josie. Her eyes raked over her and just then did the college girl notice that she was still in the clothes she slept in. Shorts and a shirt with a cheesy phrase printed on it in glittery letters.

A blush rose to her face, but before she could defend her choice in sleep attire the girl beat her to it: “You look cute.”

That did nothing to stop the blush, rather intensified it to a bright glowing red.

“And now you're all flustered. It's adorable.”, Penelope commented and made a few steps towards her to take her hand to play with her fingers.

Josie felt alive with the other girl so close to her. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest. But it was steady and not racing like it always was whenever they kissed. She felt at peace and content. There was nothing in this world that could ever compare to the vast range of emotions she felt surging through her body every time she was with the raven haired girl.

“Well to what do I owe this pleasure of having you come by with coffee?”, she asked as she intertwined their fingers.

“We're going shopping.”, Penelope stated as if that explained everything when all it did was make even more questions pop up in the brunette's head, “So you better get dressed. Unless you want to go out in this adorable outfit.”

Shaking her head in amusement at the giddy attitude of the other girl Josie grabbed a few items from her closet and disappeared in the bathroom to get changed and ready. She wanted to look good so she had settled for blue jeans with a yellow blouse and a black coat so she didn't get cold when they went outside.

Exiting the bathroom again she wondered why Penelope had decided to take her shopping. They had nothing special planned as far as she was concerned and it only made her think that there was an ulterior motive that she didn't yet know about, but was excited to discover.

“I'm all set.”, she said.

When she went to look into green eyes she found them already on her. Taking her all in and then meeting her stare a shade darker than usual.

“You look beautiful Jojo.”, the barista breathed.

Josie smiled: “So do you. But when do you not?”

As a reply Penelope made her way across the room and tucked her closer by pulling on her blouse. She then snaked her arms around the back of the brunette's neck and pulled her in for a short sweet kiss.

The college girl was left in a daze, staring into the barista's eyes and was about to lean in again when Lizzie made her presence known: “Well as sickening sweet as this was I don't want to get diabetes so why don't you guys head out so I can enjoy this wonderful cup of coffee P so graciously brought over.”

“You got it.”, the raven haired girl laughed and slipped her hand into Josie's.

 

The entire Ueber drive Penelope did her best to appear as normal and calm as possible. But inside her nerves were running high and the small box in her jacket pocket felt entirely too hot for a box. Yesterday Landon and her had gone to a jewelry shop to find something that reminded the barista of the girl sitting next to her now. She had settled on a necklace that she wanted to give to the brunette before she asked her to be her girlfriend.

Josie tried to get her to tell her why they were going shopping, but she effectively dodged all her questions until they got out of the car.

“I've never been to this mall before.”, the college girl thought out loud as they walked through the door, “And judging by the brands I see I know why. I'm too broke for all of them.”

“Well good thing I'm paying then.”, Penelope smirked and lead her towards the first shop on her list.

“What?”, the brunette stopped dead in her tracks, “I can't ask you to do that. I don't want you to spend so much money on me when I can't do the same thing in return.”

“I'm offering so you don't have to ask. And I don't mind. I care about you Jojo and you give me so much more than money could ever buy. Plus I promise that I won't spoil you all the time, it's for a special cause.”, the raven haired girl explained.

She loved how Josie didn't take advantage of her money. She had met enough people in her life that had done that and it was refreshing that the brunette wasn't like that. Especially since she wasn't rich. It was kind of funny how rich people tended to take more advantage of other people and their money than the average consumer. They loved going to other people's parties and drinking and eating on someone else's expense.

Penelope had meant it when she told Josie that she wouldn't spoil her all the time. This event was majorly important and she knew that the only way the brunette would have it easier was to fit in with the outfits right away.

“So I was right when I assumed that you taking me shopping was part of a bigger plan.”, Josie stated more than asked.

“All will be revealed in due time.”, the barista grinned as an employee approached them.

Her eyes glanced both of them over, the disapproval of the college girl's brands was written all over her face as if to ask if she was sure she was in the right place. But as soon as Penelope shot her a death glare and she registered her outfit, which the barista had intentionally picked out for this, her demeanor changed.

“How can I be of assistance to you?”, the fake wide smiled lady asked them.

Penelope could feel how uncomfortable the look had made the brunette feel and she protectively pulled her closer to her side, which eased the tension in the girl's body.

She hated to use her name and reputation, but she wanted Josie to feel as comfortable as possible, so she replied: “Hi. I'm Penelope Park and we'd like a private changing room and two glasses of champagne. Once we've settled in I'll get back to you.”

“Park?”, the woman gasped before getting ahold of herself again, “Right away. If you would follow me.”

As they followed her Josie leaned in close and whispered: “Pulling the Park card? You didn't have to do that you know. They're trained to assess if the person entering is actually a potential buyer.”

“I know, but subtlety is also a skill they should possess.”, she answered, still a bit angry.

“Relax babe. After this I'm sure they'll treat me like royalty.”, Josie chuckled amused and endeared by the barista's behavior.

All anger left her body when she heard those words. Her heart had skipped a beat when Josie had called her 'babe' and it eased some of her nervousness about asking her to be official.

“You should be treated as nothing less.”, Penelope smiled softly.

It didn't take long before they each had a glass in their hand and they had the big changing area for themselves. The raven haired girl knew that the lady wouldn't bother them right away since she had requested a bit of privacy first so her nerves were flaring up again. She wanted to ask the brunette before she told her about the weekend event, which was the reason they were at a mall now, so time was ticking for her to toughen up and do it already.

Josie was playing with her hair and was looking down at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. Whenever Penelope was looking into the familiar brown eyes she got a feeling of warmth and time stood still. The brunette made her feel special and she couldn't help but close the distance between them.

It was a long kiss that deepened after a few seconds. Hearts beating fast in union and bodies pressed closer. They only broke the kiss to catch their breaths.

“Why are we here?”, the girl asked, still left breathless.

This was the moment. The raven haired girl knew it so she pulled the box out of her pocket with shaky hands. Her heartbeat was hammering in her ears and she didn't understand why her breathing was shorter than usual when the possibility of her saying now was close to zero.

She opened the box and revealed a silver sunflower necklace. The middle of the flower was a beautifully cut diamond that shone brightly in the light.

Josie's eyes widened at the sight of it: “Penelope, it's gorgeous.”

“I bought it yesterday with Landon after I made a decision.”, the barista struggled to keep her voice even.

“Decision?”, the brunette asked confused.

“How would you feel about being my girlfriend?”

Brown eyes shot up in surprise and the silence that came afterwards felt like an eternity to the barista. Her eyes searched for any clues about how the girl in front of her was feeling and she fidgeted with the necklace in her hands to keep busy. A range of different emotions flashed through the brunette's orbs and it was overwhelming for Penelope to process all of it. But the warmth and the depth of them reassured her.

“So what do you say?”, she gave her a tentative shy smile.

“I love you.”, Josie breathed and when her words registered with her brain the barista could see the panic rise in her eyes.

Penelope herself was shocked by the sudden confession. However her surprise was overpowered by the pure joy that filled her heart to the brim. She knew that her next action would probably only cause distress for the other girl, but the scene she saw unfolding in front of her inner eye was worth it so she went with it.

Without saying a word she gave the college girl a short kiss, so that maybe she wouldn't worry too much, and left to find the lady from before. Josie was rooted to where she was standing, still looking like a deer caught in headlights.

When the barista approached the employee the woman hurried towards her: “What can I help you with Miss Park?”

“Get me the rose gold dress. I know you have that one in the back.”

Nodding quickly the woman walked away and returned just a few moments later: “There you go. Since you asked for it you must already know that there is no dress like it. A single copy so to say.”

“Yeah I know.”, the raven haired girl smirked and took it, making her way back to a nervous wreck called Josette Saltzman.

“Penelope, about what I said earlier...”, the brunette started, but was shushed by a finger on her lips.

“Try this on for me?”, the barista asked her sweetly, only contributing to the utter confusion displayed in brown orbs.

But Josie didn't protest and closed the curtain of the booth inside the private changing area while Penelope was fighting a grin. Her idea was working perfectly and she couldn't wait to see the brunette's face when she got to the final stage of her in-the-moment-plan.

“Could you zip me up?”, she heard her say after a while.

As she slipped inside the booth Penelope realized that she hadn't fully thought this through. Josie stood there with the gorgeous dress on and a bare back. She looked beyond stunning and when she reached for the zipped and her fingers ghosted over exposed skin her breath hitched and she saw goosebumps appear on the brunette's skin.

The college girl put her hair over one shoulder so it wouldn't get caught in the zipper. Slowly the raven haired girl pulled the zipper up and put the necklace on. It looked great on her, sparkling almost as beautifully as the brunette's eyes. The rose gold dress reached the floor and was flowy yet still accented the girl's body in all the right placed.

“Penelope about what I said...”, she started again.

This time she was silenced when the raven haired girl started to place kisses to the exposed side of her neck. Josie blissfully closed her eyes, a hum escaping her lips before she could catch it.

“I love you too.”, Penelope whispered against her skin.

 

At those words Josie felt a need to be impossibly closer to Penelope. She spun around and pushed her up against the wall, her lips finding the lips of the other girl. The brunette poured everything she was feeling in the kiss, hoping that Penelope would feel what she was trying to communicate.

Hearing her say those words ignited something inside. She thought that she had felt pure happiness before, but this was next level. Like this kiss opened a new door that they were only tentatively knocking on before.

Penelope was kissing her back just as fiercely. As if Josie was the air her lungs were desperately craving. Time didn't exist. Neither did their surroundings. Only the two of them in their own little world of something that was more than life before.

Reluctantly the brunette pulled back a little, placing one last peck to the raven haired girl's lips before murmuring with a small chuckle: “You didn't have to be this dramatic about this. You got me scared there for a second.”

Affectionately smiling up at her the other girl replied: “Well I'm not done being dramatic just yet.”

Josie rolled her eyes in a playful manner, heart still about to burst from all the giddiness bubbling up inside of it.

“What else do you have up your sleeve?”

“There is this super important weekend event that my family is expected to attend. I want you to come with me as my date. That's why we're here shopping too. So you can blow them away like you did me. I want this Jojo. I want you and I'm ready to commit all the way.”

Tears started to well up in her eyes. Josie was so overwhelmed with everything. In the best way possible. She could still remember how it had felt when the barista had pleaded with her to not attend the gala. How much it had hurt to be rejected like this. The brunette had always thought that maybe Penelope had been too ashamed of her to introduce her to her world on her own accord. And even when she did find out that the raven haired girl had done all that because she had known that her world's welcoming would be anything but warm, she had felt as if she had still been rejected by her to some extent.

Now though, Penelope had not just invited to her to an important event, but also asked her to be her girlfriend and told her that she loved her too in less than an hour. Josie had never felt more lucky than in this moment.

“I'd love to be your date.”, the brunette finally said when she was sure that her voice wouldn't crack with all the emotions flowing through her veins.

The smile of the raven haired girl was radiant, lighting up her sparkling green eyes as well.

“Well then. Let's get you some outfits that are worthy of you.”

 

It took them hours to pick out the seven different outfits Penelope told her she needed for the weekend trip. Apparently she had to have several outfits for one day since she was expected to change for every event on each day. And there were going to be a lot of them.

Josie had a blast and even though she was exhausted after they were done with shopping she couldn't be happier. The raven haired girl never once had stopped smiling at her and the appreciative looks she had given her whenever the brunette had tried on clothes that she looked especially good in had made Josie's knees weak.

Since they had too many shopping bags for the college girl to carry to her dorm room alone, the barista had insisted to escort her to the door. Now the two girls were smiling at each other, not ready to say goodbye just yet.

“So when exactly is this weekend event?”, Josie asked her, trying to buy them some more time together.

“Not this, but the next weekend. So in a little over a week.”, Penelope replied, bags still in her hands.

“Well I'm looking forward to it.”, the taller girl smiled.

At this the raven haired girl leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. Josie happily complied and kiss her back a little more urgently. Penelope pressed against her until the brunette's back hit the door with a thump. Chuckling into the kiss Josie was just about to drop the bags she was holding when the door opened and had her tumbling backwards, sending her and the barista flying onto the floor.

The bags had softened their hit and now the two were laughing so hard that they were gasping for air.

“Glad you find this funny.”, Lizzie stated not as amused, “I thought the pizza delivery guy knocked. Guess my disappointment when my hopes were literally crushed by an insane amount of bags and my making out twin.”

Still lying on the floor Josie blushed in embarrassment at being caught by her sister in such a way, while Penelope just smirked: “Good to see you too Lizzie. I gather that the good coffee vibes have evaporated while we were gone.”

“Well caffeine doesn't have such a long lasting effect. While this will for sure scar me for life.”, the blonde didn't hesitate to shoot back with a playful roll of her eyes.

“I'm sorry that the great chemistry we have and just accidentally displayed will always remind you that I'm all snatched up. Must be tough to know that a hottie like me is taken.”

Penelope and Lizzie were caught up in a challenging stare battle, both grinning widely from their banter. However it was now Josie's turn to feel irritated. She loved how the barista was able to keep up with her sister, but it was still strange to witness it sometimes.

Hope was the one to break their silent battle: “Are you going to lay on top of each other all day or are you going to get up at one point?”

Chuckling the raven haired girl stood up, extending her hand to Josie and pulling her up as well. She left the bags laying on the floor and instead turned her full attention back to the brunette.

“I'll text you when I'm back home.”, she said and gave her a long but chaste kiss since Lizzie and Hope were also in the room.

When she was out of the door the blush slowly faded from Josie's face and returned back to her normal color.

“Damn Jo.”, Hope brought her back to reality, “This is some expensive shit. Are you going to skip town and live the rich life with Penelope or why on earth does it look like you just upgraded your entire wardrobe?”

“Well”, the brunette started, smiling now like a Cheshire cat, “I will be attending some fancy weekend event with Penelope as her plus one.”

Lizzie narrowed her eyes at her, while her best friend excitedly asked her to model all of them for them. Josie knew that her twin suspected that there was still more information to be revealed and it made her grin even more to see if she would really figure it out on her own or if she would get to tell her herself.

“Spit it out Jo.”, the blonde demanded, still suspiciously squinting at her sister.

The excitement started to bubble back up and after a few seconds of trying to be as calm as possible Josie gave up and squealed: “Penelope asked me to be her girlfriend!”

Josie was almost crushed by the force of the two girls hugging her. Regardlessly she hugged them back just as hard. She was already feeling high from the events of the day, but having two of the most important people in the world being so happy for her was adding to it anyways.

Once they all separated the brunette got to tell them all about her day and the way Penelope asked her to be official.

 

After Landon had congratulated her on not chickening out and now being able to call Josie her girlfriend the two best friends decided to curl up under blankets and watch something on Netflix. Coffee in their hands and a bag of chips laying between them they were enjoying some quiet quality time.

Penelope knew that her parents were going to call her some time tonight so she had welcomed the idea of just relaxing for a little while longer. It wasn't a conversation she was looking forward to. Knowing that she wouldn't budge on bringing the college girl as her date, the barista was aware that this would inevitably lead to her girlfriend meeting her parents during a super important event. All those variables didn't ease her nerves in the slightest.

“Not to make you any more anxious”, Landon started, “But what exactly is your plan? We both know your parents P. They'll try to make you doubt your relationship with Josie.”

“Yeah I know”, the raven haired girl sighed, “What Josie and I have though is not something that they can make me question. I just have to figure out a way to make them see her in the light that I do. And before you say it, I know that that's asking for the impossible.”

She ran her fingers through her dark hair. This was was stressing her out. However her best friend was possibly the only person who could help her out with this. Landon knew the way their world operated and he was also friends with Josie.

“Listen. The outfits you got her will probably help with their first impression on her and the fact that she did so well at the last event will also give her some plus points. Basically the only thing you have to figure out now is what your parents want to have in a partner for you. I met them, sure, but in the end you know them tremendously better than I do. So what's the main point that matters to your parents when it comes to a girlfriend?”

He was right. Which was not a surprise, because the guy usually was. Landon had always been smart and had been able to tell her what to figure out to make things work. To think outside of the box.

“Well”, Penelope thought out loud, “They always thought that Ivy was a great match for me because of her family's money, reputation, power and the alliance with my parent's company.”

“True”, Landon agreed, but urged on, “Still do you really think that a person you're dating has to have all of that?”

“It would be ideal”, the barista said and then furrowed her eyebrows in thought, “But we have money, power and an amazing reputation on our own. While that all can always improve, and that is most certainly something my parents work on, power is probably the only thing that they would want my girlfriend to have.”

“Josie certainly has power over you.”, Landon joked on a lighter note but got completely ignored by the raven haired girl whose mind was running high.

“I've got it!”, she exclaimed after a couple of seconds and jumped from up from the couch, already dialing her father's number.

“Well are you going to tell me?!”, Landon was now on his feet as well, looking at her curiously.

“Just listen”, the barista got out before her dad picked up, “Dad. So glad I reached you.”

“Penelope.”, he replied stoically, “Have you reconsidered?”

“No. I will take Josie, my girlfriend, as my plus one.”

“I have yet to speak to your mother about what we can do to control that damage.”, he replied, disapproval detectable in his tone.

“What if I get her an internship with Anne? She already met my girlfriend at the gala and we're all aware that she did well considering the circumstances. If you let me, I can work out a deal with Anne and she will not only give her an internship, but she will also back her at the event.”

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the phone until her father spoke up again: “Call me when it's done. However, if you fail you will agree to go alone.”

“Deal. I'm a Park. I don't fail.”, Penelope said confident and hung up.

Her best friend was looking at her with wide eyes and mouth agape: “P. Anne is one of the most respected and influential people that will be attending. She has an iron will and never does anything that she doesn't want to do or doesn't profit her.”

“Then I'll convince her that this is in her favor. I have to. Failing is out of the question, because if I do then I'll have to tell Josie that I can't take her with me and we both know that that would be something that we can't come back from. I can't let her down. It's not an option.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on how Penelope asked Josie to be her gf? And would you like Lizzie and Mg to go on a real date with some time?
> 
> The event is coming up in the next chapter!   
> After that it'll be one more before this story comes to an end

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you guys think? I'd love some feedback and your thoughts on Landon as Penelope's best friend :)


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